Sutton and Cheam
- Party
- Liberal Democrat
- Region
- London
The cost of Brexit · UK-wide
Brexit's estimated hit to UK economic output (GVA) in 2023
−£188.8bn
−7.7% of output
That's about £2,835 for every person in the UK, compared with an estimate of where the economy would have been without Brexit.
Source: Brexit Cost Project (Alabrese, Edenhofer, Fetzer and Wang, 2026), real terms at 2019 prices
What rejoining could mean · UK-wide
Long-term boost to the UK economy (GDP) from EU membership
+£92bn
at least
Plus at least £43bn a year more in UK exports.
What rejoining could mean here
Estimated boost to London's economy (GVA) each year from EU membership
+£2.96bn
a year
Brexit has cost the Sutton council area an estimated £625m a year since 2016.
Among the top quarter of council areas for estimated lossesHow is this worked out?
Gross value added (GVA) is the value of the goods and services produced in an area.
Researchers at the Brexit Cost Project compared each council area's actual output with an estimate of what it would have been without Brexit. They built that estimate from a weighted mix of economies elsewhere, in Europe, the US and other advanced economies, whose output tracked the area's closely before the 2016 referendum.
The difference between the two is the estimated effect of Brexit. It's a modelled estimate, not a measured loss, and the researchers say it should be read as evidence of how places diverged after 2016 rather than as precise accounting.
The figure shown is the average gap for each year from 2016 to 2023, the latest year of official local output data. It's in real terms, at 2019 prices, and is the headline estimate on this council area's page at brexitcost.org. The council area may be larger or smaller than the constituency.
Source: Frontier Economics; council figure from the Brexit Cost Project
What voters think in Sutton and Cheam
Which EU relationship people in Sutton and Cheam most want the UK Government to propose
When they had to choose one
About this survey
YouGov surveyed 11,927 people. The survey was carried out between 27th May – 11th June 2026.
The survey was conducted using an online interview of members of the YouGov Plc GB panel of 400,000+ individuals who have agreed to take part in surveys.
Voices from Sutton and Cheam
To who it may concern, My strong believe about the UK’s membership of the EU is that Britain should never have left in the first place but now that we see the actual impact Brexit has had on the country (not just scare monger, actual facts) we must rejoin for a better and stronger future not only for Europe but the UK. I have lived in three EU countries, have seen first hand the advantage of a joint Union, have studied European Politics and critically assessed the construct, its history and politics as well as financial development during its existence. Being on the inside and changing the EU for the better is always better than being on the outside not having any impact or say but instead feeling the financial disadvantage. All I can say, having now lived 20 years in the UK, Britain please rejoin together we will be stronger in this new world order! Vincent
Vincent Johnsson
8 November 2026
The UK is geographically and culturally part of Europe and it makes sense for us to co-operate with other European countries. Leaving the EU has been dreadful for professional musicians who used to work abroad frequently as their travel has been curtailed. It's dire for farming as seasonal labour is no longer available as it was. It's inconvenient for people travelling abroad for leisure. It makes us more vulnerable to predatory rulers and reduces the contribution we could make to the EU in diplomacy. Leaving the EU was used as a tool for self-advancement for certain politicians; it was never in the UK's interest and has encouraged insularity among some.
Juliet Chaplin
8 November 2026
Which sectors could benefit most from EU membership?
Sutton and Cheam has:
people employed in manufacturing, mining and utilities
people employed in retail and wholesale
people employed in accommodation and food services
as its biggest employing industry
Why these jobs matter for our relationship with Europe
These three industries employ people in every constituency, and each depends on how easily goods, services and people move between the UK and Europe.
Manufacturing: Frontier Economics found that 81% of the £43 billion a year growth in exports from EU membership would come from manufacturing.
Retail: Rejoining the EU would remove the customs checks and paperwork that have added red tape and costs for shops and their suppliers since Brexit, making it cheaper and simpler to stock goods from Europe.
Food services: Pubs, restaurants and hotels have struggled to fill vacancies since free movement ended. EU membership would let them recruit seasonal workers from across Europe again and help bring down costs for hospitality businesses across the country.
Sources and methodology
- GVA gap caused by Brexit: Brexit Cost Project
- People employed by industry and biggest employing industry: Census 2021, Office for National Statistics
- People employed by industry in Scotland: Scotland's Census 2022, National Records of Scotland
- Support for full EU membership: YouGov for Best for Britain
- Regional GVA boost: Frontier Economics for Best for Britain
- Postcode lookup: postcodes.io, using ONS data
- MP details and photos: UK Parliament Members API
Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026. Contains NRS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.