Wes Streeting Says Brexit Was a ‘Catastrophic Mistake’

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By TRH World Desk

Wes Streeting Criticises Brexit, Says Leaving EU Was a Historic Error

London, May 16, 2026 — Wes Streeting has reignited Britain’s long-running Brexit debate by declaring that leaving the European Union was a “catastrophic mistake” and accusing the Vote Leave campaign of selling an unrealistic vision of Britain’s post-EU future.

In remarks delivered during a media statement, Streeting argued that the United Kingdom must confront a series of major national choices if it hopes to restore economic confidence and regain what he described as a lost “sense of progress.”

“At the core are three big important choices we have to make as a country that can help us regain our sense of progress,” Streeting said before directly targeting Brexit.

“Leaving the European Union was a catastrophic mistake,” he declared.

Streeting also criticised the political assumptions that underpinned the Brexit campaign, suggesting that supporters of leaving the EU had fundamentally misread Britain’s place in the global economy.

“The Vote Leave campaign deluded itself into thinking that the UK could forge a global free trade nirvana, as though we still had the East India Company at our disposal,” he said.

The remarks are likely to intensify political debate over Britain’s relationship with the European Union, especially as economic concerns, trade barriers and sluggish growth continue to dominate public discussion nearly a decade after the 2016 referendum.

Although the current Labour leadership has stopped short of advocating rejoining the EU, senior figures within the party have increasingly pushed for deeper cooperation with European institutions on trade, healthcare, research and security. Streeting’s comments are among the bluntest assessments yet from a prominent Labour minister regarding the long-term consequences of Brexit.

Supporters of Brexit, however, continue to argue that leaving the EU restored British sovereignty, allowed greater control over immigration policy and enabled independent trade agreements outside the bloc.

The United Kingdom formally exited the European Union in January 2020 following the divisive 2016 referendum in which 51.9 per cent of voters backed leaving the bloc. Since then, debates over the economic and political impact of Brexit have remained central to British politics.

Streeting’s remarks are expected to draw strong reactions from both pro-European campaigners and Brexit supporters as questions over Britain’s future relationship with Europe continue to shape the country’s political landscape.