Richard Bentall's sockpuppet

@danielmgmoylan True - because it wouldn't go far enough. We need to rejoin the single market as well. And as that would make us rule-takers, we should obviously rejoin completely and work with our friends to help determine the future direction of Europe.

It would be idiotic and expensive for the UK to join the Customs Union.

@WillBlackwater2 @BritainUnbound @MarchForRejoin @LizWebsterSBF Erm... the persistence of Brexit identities means that Brexit is not settled and certainly not forgotten. But the number identifying as remainers has stayed the same while less people are identifying as leavers. This is how countries change their minds.encompass-europe.com/comment/when-w…

@s_bentall @BritainUnbound @MarchForRejoin @LizWebsterSBF Funny how we're told Brexit is 'settled and forgotten', yet this graph shows around two-thirds of people still identify as Leavers or Remainers nearly a decade later. Brexit may be done, but Brexit identity clearly isn't.😏

EXCLUSIVE: Tiny Rejoin March Figures Released A recently published FoI request to the Met police, has revealed that only 5-7,000 people are believed to have attended the rejoin marches in the past three years. Thanks to @WillBlackwater2 for the tip-off. britain-unbound.org/news/exclusive…

@profsked You are fruitcakes and loonies. 10 years after Brexit, nobody is leaving the EU, 10 countries want to join, €zone is expanding, Britain is divided with unstable government, racism has been normalized, the economy has suffered, and people want to rejoin:x.com/RichardBentall…

Why the Brexit ‘fruitcakes and loonies’ were right all along telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/…

@WillBlackwater2 @BritainUnbound @MarchForRejoin @LizWebsterSBF 34% want to stay out. Meanwhile, the best indication of enthusiasm for Brexit is the number of people identifying as leavers, which has plummeted (data from the BES):

@s_bentall @BritainUnbound @MarchForRejoin @LizWebsterSBF 36% say they want to Rejoin. 46% want to remain outside on a more distant relationship. It is not misrepresentation.

@DennyTWright @danielmgmoylan 17/17 independent economic analyses of the effects of Brexit all agree on a negative effect.

Germany wrecked its economy chasing Russian gas. We’re not self-sufficient either North Sea’s declining, wholesale prices exploded for everyone, and green levies are hammering our bills on top. Energy mess is Europe-wide, not just a Brexit own-goal. Anyway, got better things to do in this beautiful sunshine– cheers.

We just sure that this rubbish follows them round in their academic careers and that they are not forgiven for these lies.

BREAKING: President Trump signs historic "Memorandum of Understanding" treaty with the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pond algae.

@BorisJohnson You lied then. You are lying now. You do not know how not to lie.

Ten years ago the people of this country voted to leave the EU in the biggest expression of popular will in our history. We need to stop fearing the freedom and make use of it and move on together. 🇬🇧

When Boris Johnson outlined the 'opportunities' of Brexit, he outlined a fantasy of wishful thinking...arguably his whole political career was a fantasy of wishful thinking.

@DrDStarkeyCBE @MarkJLittlewood Littlewood? 😂😂

As I often do after a significant electoral contest in this country, I turned to my trusted correspondent and political analyst @MarkJLittlewood to digest what has happened. The Makerfield by-election represents a huge setback for the political Right in this country in a number of ways. We have grown used to seeing Reform on the march since the election of 2024. Labour's collapsing polling and credibility has appeared for the last two years to play straight into the hands of Nigel Farage. But a confluence of factors has stalled that progress. First things first, Andy Burnham was always by far the most likely winner of this by-election. Many analysts with an axe to grind against Reform presented the Makerfield constituency as theirs to lose because of the friendly demographics, totally ignoring that it is slap bang in the middle of Burnham's home ground, where his popularity is (deservedly or not) stratospheric. Reform didn't help themselves by talking up their chances at the beginning of campaigning, like Gawain Towler did on my channel. It was only towards the end of campaigning that they began to recognise what they were up against in Burnham. Secondly, Reform's methods have been tested by this contest and found wanting. They relied once again on the unpopularity of Sir Keir Starmer, not considering that Andy Burnham was running on exactly the same message and providing a much quicker means of dispatching the Prime Minister. And they failed to articulate clearly and confidently what it was they stood *for* and how it is applicable to this constituency. Thirdly, though Restore performed very poorly and demonstrated that their online predictions were completely illusory, even the small fraction of votes they did pick up in this most favourable of regions is enough to deny any party of the Right many seats during a full general election. Supporters of the political Right in Britain are in danger of falling into the same trap of all disenfranchised peoples; that is voting for parties who are big on performative antics and emotionally satisfying bold statements, while totally ignoring the tactical reality they're facing. Let me be clear, Andy Burnham will fail as Prime Minister once he inevitably takes over from Starmer. He has no better answers to the problems facing this country than his soon-to-be predecessor. But that will not stop him doing enormous damage and potentially rigging the electoral system in his favour to further disenfranchise the political Right, who really do have the answers. We're entering dangerous times, and must choose our path with great care.

Father's Day was always a difficult time for Boris Johnson. #FathersDay

@TeagueRoger @LizWebsterSBF Even without a rebate, rejoining would be fiscally positive. x.com/RichardBentall…

@LizWebsterSBF It is highly unlikely we would negotiate an EU budget rebate. The EU takes a firm stance that previous, "à la carte" memberships such as Thatcher's rebate, the Euro exemption, and the Schengen opt-out are off the table for any new or returning member. blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/202…

The EU want's increase it's budget to 1.26% of the bloc's GDP. That would mean the UK's contribution would be ~£40.8b if were still members! That's revenue, in terms of GDP that is equivalent to ~£100b! We only exported £181b worth of goods in 2025. 🤷‍♂️ reuters.com/en/eu-proposes…

@TeagueRoger @LizWebsterSBF This argument is so stupid. The businesses that do not export to the EU include your barber and your local chippy (although both buy imports from the EU). Tyhe businesses that do include Airbus, Nissan, Rolls Royces etc.

@LizWebsterSBF Perhaps the most enlightening fact from the historic record is how few UK businesses actually trade with the EU. The BBC back in 2016 calculated this as 6% - yes, 6%. None of this reply is made-up, demonstrable and factual. bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politi…

The EU budget is indeed under discussion for the next Multiannual Financial Framework, with proposals floating around 1.2–1.3% of GNI. However, a few important points: Pre-Brexit, the UK’s gross contribution was around £18–20 billion per year, with a net contribution of roughly £9–12 billion after the rebate. A larger EU budget would mean a higher gross figure, but the UK would likely negotiate a rebate or special arrangement again (as it did historically). The £40.8bn figure assumes no rebate and full application of the new higher rate which is speculative. More importantly, this ignores the benefits side of the ledger. As a member, the UK received: • Frictionless access to the Single Market (our largest trading partner) • Participation in EU programmes (research, structural funds, etc.) • Influence over rules that governed 45% of our trade The economic studies (OBR, Bank of England, etc.) estimate Brexit cost the UK economy 4–8% of GDP annually, tens of billions more than any increased budget contribution. Trade-offs exist on both sides, but pretending the contribution is pure cost without benefits is the same selective accounting that was used in 2016. Brexit defenders obsess over exports while ignoring the huge benefits of imports as inputs. UK businesses rely on frictionless access to EU components, raw materials, and intermediate goods. New barriers, rules of origin, and paperwork have raised costs, disrupted supply chains, and squeezed margins across manufacturing, construction, food processing, and more. It’s not just “what we sell”. It’s also what we need to buy to make things competitively. Leaving the Single Market made both sides of trade more expensive and complicated. That’s why the overall economic hit (4–8% GDP according to OBR and others) is so significant.

@TeagueRoger 1. It's not yet agreed. 2. Most of this money comes back directly or pays for EU projects that have value (some of which we are now paying to be a part of - Horizon and Erasmus). 3. The central estimate of loss tax revenue because of Brexit is £52 bn/yr.

“The report’s author, @ecfr director Mark Leonard, said the polling showed the EU was open to the UK’s return and that the British public had fundamentally moved on from 2016 – meaning Europe was now a political opportunity for the UK government.” theguardian.com/politics/2026/…

"British voters see Brexit as a disaster". ecfr.eu/publication/br…

“Asked to identify the primary benefits of Brexit, the most common response, by a wide margin, was ‘don’t know’ followed closely by ‘none of the above’ – suggesting most British voters now feel Brexit did real damage for no apparent upside.” theguardian.com/politics/2026/…

"Old Brexit lines are falling away, with a majority now open to freedom of movement." thenewworld.co.uk/matt-withers-b…

@cosiadair In darkest Britain, the small tribe of Brexiters stumble through the undergowth of ideas as they continue in their desperate search for reasons not to rejoin the EU.

I spent yesterday on the National Rejoin March — a quaint, heatstruck event, where people dreamed of a liberal Europe that’s already dying ⬇️⬇️⬇️