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Anna Gold
AP Language
12 December 2016

Brexit and How it will Affect the United Kingdom

A few months ago, a referendum was held in the United Kingdom to decide whether the
UK wanted to remain a member of the European Union (EU) or not. The vote to leave won 48
percent to 52 percent (Wheeler). Many people are enraged and believe that "the dire economic
consequences were not fully understood before the referendum"(Axford). The United Kingdom's
imposing exit from the European Union will definitely conflictingly affect the economy by
lowering the value of the pound, decreasing the interest in making investments in the UK, and
causing rising inflation that will ultimately negatively affect the citizens. Some people believe
that leaving the EU was the right thing to do, for reasons of a change in government and other
aspects, such as their belief in the overwhelming conflict surrounding allowing immigrants into
the country. However, leaving the UK would greatly disrupt many details in the life of a citizen of
the United Kingdom.
One of the greatest issues that has been affiliated with Brexit was the value of the pound
decreasing. The pound "has lost nearly a fifth of its value since the referendum,"(Measuring the
fallout"), and has fallen "to levels not seen for decades"(Le Breton). With the wavering value of
the currency, stability surrounding the economy is compromised. This increase in the value of
the pound has made it unusually financially difficult for citizens and those visiting the UK. A Gulf
Times article relates this inflation to the great depression, saying, "The political implications
recall the experience of the 20th century, when the pound's external value was a national
obsession in the UK and currency crises regularly destroyed the credibility of governments and
wreaked political havoc,"("Will Brexit break the pound?"). This political chaos has been

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occurring since the referendum, as explained by Ian Le Breton in an article for Mondaq
Business Briefing. He says, "Politically, the implications were brutal- David Cameron resigned,
the conservative party initiated a vicious leadership contest, and the labour party descended
into chaos,"(Le Breton). At this point, the political aspect of the future of the UK apart from the
EU has not gone as smoothly as some had hoped.
Brexit has already started to cause the value of the pound to decrease, causing the rates
of employment and wages to go with it. In an article by The Economist, he explains how the
inflation affects the financial comfort of workers in the UK. He says, "The fall in the pound will
soon put a squeeze on real take home pay. And, on past form, a burst of export-led growth is
unlikely to compensate,"("The right kind of budget; The British economy and Brexit"). If the
pound decreases in value, then everyday items become much more expensive and it might
become hard for people to continue buying the things they usually would. In a different article,
he explains how the inflation will cause wages to fall, decreasing the value of living
standards("Measuring the fallout; The post-Brexit economy"). On top of the inflation, people
might also start losing their jobs. In an article by Rachel Obordo, she speaks about how big
companies might be moving to Europe because it will now be easier for them. This might cause
people to start losing their jobs. Not only will jobs be lost, but the price of university for students
will go up significantly. An article by FICCI Business Digest explains how "The decision to leave
the EU might make it difficult for the EU students to access universities in UK and some
concerns are already being expressed. The cost of studying is expected to go up significantly
for the EU students and it might become more difficult for the students to stay back and find
jobs"("Brexit: Look for Opportunities, not Just Adversities").
Trade is an remarkably important part of the economy of any country, and the UK is no
different. When the United Kingdom leaves the EU, it will change how other countries feel about
it, which might impact the way other countries want to trade with it. Brexit is making the United
Kingdom uncertain as to what the rules are regarding reaching out to other markets(such as the

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US or EU) and these other countries might start looking to other places for trade ("Brexit: Look
for Opportunities, not Just Adversities"). As the future of trade is questionable for the UK, it is
still important for the economy that it stays relevant on the global scale, as explained by Adam
Hetherington. He says, "It is vital for international trade links that London maintains its position
as a global powerhouse and... is able to connect with rapidly growing international markets
particularly outside Europe"(Hetherington). Brexit will most likely decrease the amount of
valuable trading occurring between the United Kingdom and other countries, as the current
economy is unpredictable.
An immensely important aspect of the well being of the country is not only the concern
about the economy but the opinions of the people living in it. In some parts of the UK, nobody
voted to leave. For example, an article by BBC explained how "Every region in Scotland voted
to remain but the UK-wide result means that Scotland will nonetheless be leaving the
EU"("Brexit: Reaction from around the UK"). There has been talk of Scotland seceding from the
UK for this reason. Another article by Rachel Abordo gave the perspective of the citizens who
are living in the UK and have to experience Brexit first hand. One man expressed his feelings by
stating that Brexit "represents a shameful retreat to a smaller mindset, unshackled from
empathy, decency or even just intellectual engagement with complex issues"(Obordo). Another
woman claimed she didn't feel like the UK was the kind of country she wanted to raise her
children in (Obordo). A student has been attacked with racial slurs on the street by fellow
Londoners who not feel more entitled after Brexit.
There is of course, the group of people who voted to leave the EU and stand by that
decision. These voters believe that the decrease in value of the pound is a good thing. Dr. Akbar
Jaffari said that "As the pound gets weaker, imports from UK will become cheaper and it will be
cheaper to create fresh capital and make real estate investments there"("Brexit
Opportunities?"). Others are just accepting it, such as the woman who said " 'The pound has
dropped.' And it would be like, 'You know what? It's happened. It's in the past. Things will be

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okay' "("London Is Already Feeling the Post-Brexit Fallout"). Others, however, are proud and
excited for the UK to leave the EU. This unpopular decision is somehow the one that was voted
for.
Contrary to the more likely belief that employment rates will decrease, some people are
hopeful that they will even out and possibly increase in the long run. An FICCI Business Digest
article explained how the Brexit will likely lessen employment rates now, but they are expected
to even out in the long run ("Brexit: Look for Opportunities, not Just Adversities"). The same
article states that "A PwC report released in March 2016 projects a cumulative jobs growth of
around three million by 2025, taking the total number of jobs in the UK to almost 37 million by
that date." With the pound's value decreasing, it is unlikely that the employment rate will go up
anytime in the near future, but some believe it will happen.
Another reason people are rooting for Brexit is because they believe they have their
own government back to make their own decisions. For example, a man from Birmingham said
that "We've got our democracy back and we can build an absolutely brilliant future for
ourselves"("Brexit: Reaction from around the UK"). People may now believe they have the
decision to keep immigrants out of the country, which might be the main reason many people
voted to leave. This is also a reason many people are so angry about Brexit. The allowance of
immigrants into the UK is a strikingly controversial topic, as the EU allows it, and many voters
chose to leave because they didn't allow it.
While it is possible for Parliament to reject Brexit now, it is unfortunately unlikely. Brexit
and the intensely controversial discussion regarding it has happened before as explained by
Anna Sproule in her book Great Britain: The Land and its People, where she talks about how
"after years of debate, Britain joined the European communities," but, "Britain declared in 1988
that it will definitely remain a separate sovereign state"(Sproule). This time we are aware that
the stability of the government and certainty of law is at serious risk (Axford), but somehow the
UK has decided to secede from the EU yet again. This is an unwise decision and will negatively

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disturb multiple components of the United Kingdom's economy, government, and the daily life of
the citizens, so Brexit should be stopped.

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Works Cited
Axford, Stuart. "Brexit-What We Know." Mondaq Business Briefing, 1 July 2016. General
OneFile. Accessed 1 Dec. 2016.
"Brexit: Look for Opportunities, not Just Adversities." FICCI Business Digest, 29 Aug. 2016.
General OneFile. Accessed 1 Dec. 2016.
"Brexit opportunities?" Gulf Daily News [Manama, Bahrain], 26 June 2016. Global Issues in
Context. Accessed 3 Dec. 2016.

News, BBC. "Brexit: Reaction from around the UK." BBC News. N.p., 24 June 2016. Web. 01
Dec. 2016.

Hetherington, Adam. "Heathrow expansion is essential if the UK is to maintain global position

post Brexit." Property Week, 28 Oct. 2016, p. 28. General OneFile. Accessed 1 Dec.
2016.
Le Breton, Ian. "Brexit Aftermath." Mondaq Business Briefing, 4 Oct. 2016. General OneFile.
Accessed 1 Dec. 2016.
"London Is Already Feeling the Post-Brexit Fallout." Daily Intelligencer, 1 Nov. 2016. General
OneFile. Accessed 3 Dec. 2016.

"Measuring the fallout; The post-Brexit economy." The Economist, 29 Oct. 2016, p. 51(US).
Global Issues in Context. Accessed 1 Dec. 2016.

Obordo, Rachel. "UK's EU Workers React to Brexit: 'Britain Is a Poorer, Crueller Country'" The
Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 2016. Web. 01 Dec. 2016.

Sproule, Anna. Great Britain, the Land and Its People. Morristown, NJ: Silver Burdett, 1987.
Print.

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"The right kind of budget; The British economy and Brexit." The Economist, 3 Sept. 2016, p.
10(US). Global Issues in Context. Accessed 1 Dec. 2016.

Wheeler, Alex Hunt Brian. "Brexit: All You Need to Know about the UK Leaving the EU." BBC
News. N.p., 2016. Web. 02 Dec. 2016.
"Will Brexit break the pound?" Gulf Times [Doha, Qatar], 1 Mar. 2016. Global Issues in Context
Accessed 3 Dec. 2016.