I had just turned 18 when the referendum happened in 2016 and like many my age I voted to remain. Today, aged 21, I am optimistic and excited about the opportunities that await outside the EU. In the past three years I have completely changed my outlook and co-created the Students For Brexit campaign.
Almost everyone I knew before going to university voted Remain, and those who were too young were frustrated as they would have done the same.
It was a year into the negotiations that my opinion shifted. I can’t say one specific event changed my mind. On learning of the referendum result, I accepted that we had to leave and signed up to Open Britain, but once negotiations with the EU started I became disillusioned. The EU’s approach seemed to be to damage the UK, keep us tied to the institution and ensure that a lesson is learnt by other member states to never attempt anything similar. We’d been told that a vote for Leave would cause chaos. In reality, that never happened, we have seen the pound rise and we have a deal to take us out of the EU.
Now that we have properly begun the process we can negotiate the future relationship and form better trade deals with countries around the globe. Most importantly, we can offer business some stability, and regain confidence for investment and trade with the UK. Although we are leaving the EU, we are not leaving Europe and I hope that the future relationship is one that works in all our best interests.
