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A new report by European Movement UK highlights the difficulties faced by the UK's creative sector, ten years after the decision to leave the EU.

The report is available to read here.

Music venue owners like Mig Schallache, owner of The Louisiana, Bristol's iconic music venue, say performances by EU-based acts have reduced dramatically over the last 5 years - while UK bands now find touring and taking merchandise into the EU prohibitively difficult.

"Because of Brexit we're getting less artists from Europe. There aren't enough artists in the UK to fill diaries, so you need the influx to fill your books.

"Pre-brexit it was so much easier for bands to go to Europe and tour. Now it's just not feasible. It's just really sad not having that influence from Europe, European music coming across and seeing it live."

Watch our interview with Mig here.

UK musicians and artists have said consistently that working in the EU has become much harder since the UK left the bloc. New requirements for lists of equipment, visa issues and movement restrictions across EU borders for UK nationals have seen many lose work or stop touring the EU entirely.

The report recommends the government should:

• Agree a short-term mobility and work framework covering touring performers, creatives and associated staff, while tackling the issues hampering their EU counterparts in the UK.
• Relax cabotage rules affecting both UK and EU touring operations, enabling productions to move equipment across borders without unnecessary restrictions.
  
• Join Creative Europe, the EU's flagship cultural programme, with a commitment to participate in its successor, AgoraEU.

The UK can remove domestic barriers now, reducing unnecessary bureaucracy for UK creatives and for EU cultural professionals working in the UK.

Facts and Figures

• £145.8bn was contributed by the creative industries to the UK economy in 2024, around 5.5 percent of the economy.
• 2.4m+ jobs are supported across the creative industries, around 7 percent of the workforce.
• £8bn was contributed to the economy by UK music alone, including exports worth nearly £5bn.

A roundtable to discuss the report and the solutions available for solving the post-Brexit problems facing the cultural and creative sectors will take place on Tuesday in Portcullis House, Westminster, hosted by Dr Al Pinkerton MP.

By Public Affairs Manager, Joe Meighan.

The European Movement, along with many others, has consistently argued that Brexit has made Britain increasingly difficult to govern. If that diagnosis is correct, the solution is unlikely to be found simply through another change of leadership. Structural problems rarely disappear because of a new personality at the dispatch box.

That is worth bearing in mind amid the increasingly feverish speculation around Labour’s future leadership following difficult local election results. Pro-Europeans have understandably become animated by encouraging remarks from senior politicians who may one day seek to inhabit Number 10. The fact that politicians now feel comfortable speaking positively about Europe is, in of itself, a significant shift and should be welcomed. Only a few years ago, meaningful discussion about Brexit and Britain’s relationship with the European Union was politically toxic. Today it has returned to mainstream political debate as a serious question of national interest.

But while bold pronouncements on Europe are welcome, we should be wary of becoming consumed by personalities alone. Jockeying for short-term political advantage is inevitable in politics. However, politicians who overdo it at the expense of a clear, credible and consistent strategic vision risk not only paying an electoral price themselves but leaving the country to pay a far heavier one in lost prosperity, reduced opportunities and continued instability.

So, the European Movement does not take sides in leadership speculation. What we do ask of all senior politicians, whether currently in government or aspiring to it, is honesty about Britain’s relationship with Europe and realism about the scale of the challenge ahead.

That means recognising three things in particular.

First, Britain is in a considerably better place with Europe than it was during the era of “Get Brexit Done and never mind how”. Relations with the EU have improved markedly. Practical cooperation has begun to return, and agreements such as the UK’s return to Horizon and Erasmus+ demonstrate that constructive engagement can deliver tangible benefits for British citizens.

Second, the government now needs to build on that progress. The commitments made around closer defence and security cooperation, a meaningful youth mobility scheme and reducing barriers that continue to drive up food prices and costs for businesses must now be pursued with greater urgency and ambition.

And third, if Britain genuinely wants to repair much of the damage caused by Brexit, this is no time for rigid red lines. Europe will not seriously engage in a deeper long-term partnership with a Britain that still appears trapped by the political psychology of the Brexit years.

The European Union itself was not built in a single electoral cycle. European peace and cooperation were constructed patiently over generations. In that sense, there is something to be said for taking a longer strategic view of Britain’s place in Europe while remaining rigorous in our short-term ambitions.

There is an old observation often made about Russian strategic thinking: that Russia thinks in centuries while Western democracies think in election cycles. Whether entirely fair or not, there is a useful lesson in it. Political movements that want lasting change need both immediate ambition and long-term discipline.

Public opinion in Britain has clearly shifted in recent years. Many of the arguments about Brexit’s economic and political consequences that once sat at the margins are now part of mainstream discussion. Those in the pro-European movement may reasonably feel a quiet sense of vindication. We have been making many of these arguments for years. But politics is not simply about being right; it is about the country being ready to hear it.

The road towards a closer relationship with Europe is more open today than it has been for some time. That is meaningful progress. But the next stage will require patience, realism and strategic consistency, not simply another round of political personality contests.

Until we remedy that, the Downing Street hinges will need constant WD-40, argues Joe Meighan

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As the UK marks 10 years since the Brexit referendum, new polling from the European Movement Ireland shows that public opinion in Northern Ireland has shifted decisively towards Europe.

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A new report released today by European Movement UK highlights how small-and-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the UK have struggled since the UK left the EU.

The report, Freedom to Prosper, which interviewed dozens of SMEs across the UK, can be downloaded here.

Key takeaways from the report:

• Most businesses said their trade with EU countries had reduced significantly in the last few years, with increased costs, complex new paperwork and long delays on exports making them uncompetitive compared to businesses within the EU's single market.
• It comes after new research from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) found that 34% of SME exporters expected to reduce or stop EU trade altogether if current arrangements remain in place, while just 6% saw opportunities to grow. 
• With the second UK-EU Summit expected to take place in July, this report lays out the business case for UK membership of the single market.

For the report, businesses across the UK shared their post-Brexit experience with us.

Alison Lea-Wilson MBE, of Anglesey Sea Salt Co. Ltd, in Anglesey, Wales said:

"Since Brexit, trading with our largest export markets - Italy and Spain - has become so much harder. Before Brexit, it used to take under a week to export one pallet of our products from Anglesey to Bologna, but now it takes up to three months. 

“The delays are largely due to excessive paperwork. Rather than following the EU rules across all European countries, we now must liaise with each country individually. As a result of Brexit and the difficulties we face trading with the EU, the company lost four major EU distributers, sadly this translates to a loss of customers."

Mike Donovan of Apparel Studio, Stockport, also said:

"As soon as the referendum vote happened in 2016 our earnings were cut in half almost overnight. The 12% tariffs on all imports and exports drastically decreased our profits which meant we had to change our business model and move our manufacturing to countries like Turkey.

"Simply put, we need access to the customs union and the single market so that our business can thrive again."

Tina Makin of Pie Events, based in Surrey, shared her businesses’ experience:

"We design and deliver bespoke UK and European cycle rides for UK charities. The biggest challenge for us is the increased costs and admin associated with using Carnets [temporary and tax-free export/import of goods]. As part of our service, we arrange the transport of all the bicycles and equipment which before Brexit, was as simple as loading up a van and setting off. 

“Now, this entails a series of long-winded forms for both my business and the customer. For example, each individual participating in a bike ride is required to fill out a form detailing the exact make, model and colour of the bicycle, as well as where it was manufactured and its value. The carnet is a substantial cost to the business as we pay for the pleasure of using a Carnet as well as paying a fee per bicycle, a percentage of the bicycle’s value."

"What this report demonstrates clearly," remarked Sir Nick Harvey, CEO of European Movement UK, "is that many of the barriers facing British businesses today stem from the loss of frictionless access to the European single market. While some tariff-free trade remains in place under the current arrangements, companies are now navigating customs paperwork, regulatory duplication and restrictions on labour mobility that simply did not exist before 2020. For many firms, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, these additional frictions translate directly into higher costs, reduced competitiveness and lost opportunities.

"Perhaps the most powerful aspect of this report is that it allows businesses themselves to speak. From manufacturers and exporters to educators, freelancers and cultural organisations, the case studies presented here illustrate how changes to the UK-EU relationship are affecting real people running real businesses. These are not abstract statistics repeated by both sides of the argument; they are the real experiences of entrepreneurs who have had to restructure supply chains, absorb new administrative costs or reduce their presence in European markets simply to continue operating.

"Companies across the country have worked hard to adjust to the new trading environment. However, resilience should not be mistaken for satisfaction. The central argument of this report is therefore straightforward. If the United Kingdom is serious about boosting productivity, supporting SMEs and expanding exports, it must consider how its relationship with Europe can better support those goals."

As the UK Government builds on its UK-EU reset, there is a clear opportunity to listen to the voices of UK business and ensure that economic growth, support for SMEs, and cutting red tape are at the heart of that relationship. Our report has three recommendations to the Government.

1. Join the Single Market and Customs Union. This would address the root causes of current frictions by restoring regulatory alignment, removing rules of origin requirements, and establishing seamless trade in goods and services.
2. Restore freedom of movement. Labour mobility is not peripheral to economic integration: it underpins it. Restoring mobility would ease labour shortages, strengthen fiscal sustainability, and expand opportunities for UK citizens across Europe.
3. Give SMEs a voice in UK-EU negotiations. Smaller businesses have borne a disproportionate share of post-exit complexity yet often lack direct representation in high-level negotiations. Their voices must be embedded in policy-making.

Read the report, Freedom to Prosper, and sign the petition calling on the Government to deliver our three recommendations.

Latest polling released today by YouGov shows that 55% of people support EU membership.

Just 33% would be opposed to the UK rejoining the EU.

It also shows that 1 in 5 people (21%) who voted to leave in 2016 have changed their minds, and would now vote to rejoin.

The latest polling is available here.

The polling also shows support for the UK rejoining the EU according to political party affiliation. By party and from highest to lowest:

• Green voters: 84% back rejoin
• Labour voters: 80% back rejoin
• Lib Dem voters: 74% back rejoin
• Conservative voters: 28% back rejoin
• Reform voters: 11% back rejoin

Dr Mike Galsworthy, Chair of European Movement UK, said:

"Almost ten years have passed since the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union, along with its membership of the Customs Union and the Single Market. In that time, the consequences for the British people have become increasingly stark. 

“This latest polling not only reinforces that - it shows that more and more people see the benefits of much closer ties with the European Union - having felt the pain of Brexit.

"We have seen soaring import costs, increased workforce shortages and reams of new red tape. No wonder exports to the EU by our small businesses are down by 30%, and 20,000 small firms across the UK have stopped all exports to the EU. Meanwhile, LSE research shows a £27bn fall in goods exports to the EU - enough to fill a fiscal black hole or two. 

“Politicians must now face the facts - ten years since the vote, Brexit is still an ongoing accident, and its damage is far from over."

Research released today by the Food and Drink Federation shows that UK exports of food and drink to the EU are down by almost a third compared to 2019.

The 'trade snapshot', available here, shows UK exports are down 31% on pre-Brexit levels.

It says the huge drop in EU business is due to the complexities of trading with the EU, and calls on the government to help promote British products abroad and prioritise preparing businesses for the SPS Agreement, a deal which would help cut red tape involved in exporting UK products to the EU.

Sir Nick Harvey, CEO of European Movement UK, said:

"We cannot ignore this figure. A 31% loss in our food and drink exports is hammering our growers and producers, many to the point of simply giving up. The damage done by leaving the single market is egregious.

"Anyone claiming that this is a Brexit betrayal simply doesn't understand the dire situation our food industry has faced since the UK left the EU, when it mangled its trading relationship with its best customer.

"Farmers, growers, fisheries - they've all been hammered by extra red tape, which made them so uncompetitive in terms of exports that many of them simply gave up exporting to the EU, or went out of business altogether. The announcement of this deal will help not just them, but all of us in terms of food prices, at a time when the cost-of-living looks again set to increase for all of us on our food costs and energy bills."

David Catt, a fruit and vegetable farmer based in Kent and European Movement member, said:

"This reflects what all farmers already know - that trading with the EU has become much harder in the last five years. You've got dairy farmers going out of business on a weekly basis because they can't export because of the red tape. Producers are in a domestic market which simply doesn't buy enough, so they're stuck with produce they can't sell and can't export.

"Potatoes are down, milk is down, fruit is down - we need to get rid of the extra red tape as soon as possible, and the government making a deal with the EU is the only way to breathe life back into the UK farming, growing and fishing industries. It cannot come soon enough."

Ten years on from the referendum, Ireland shows why Britain should join the EU single market again.

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