Brexit was (and still is) one of the most important events in modern British history.

It is therefore essential that politicians, the media, business and the public at large can gain an objective view on how it is impacting key aspects of life in the UK today – and how it is affecting our country’s relationship with the rest of the world.

Without doubt it has, in numerous ways, harmed our relationship with the rest of our continent – and has harmed key aspects of life in Britain.

But, in order to remedy those problems, there needs to be a sober objective analysis of them.

That’s why we need a full Public Inquiry into the consequences of Brexit. That’s why more than 216,000 people signed a petition requesting such an Inquiry. A petition debate was therefore held in Parliament on Monday, 24 April. It was the first time that a parliamentary debate has been held on the consequences of Brexit.

Getting a Public Inquiry is crucial for our country – and for the public’s right to know. We hope that as many MPs as possible will feel able to participate in the debate.

• In terms of our economy, we need to more fully understand the nature of the impact of the government’s particularly hard-line version of Brexit. The government maintains that COVID and the Ukraine war make it impossible to specifically assess the economic consequences of Brexit. We doubt that that is true – and we think that the government is saying that purely because it doesn’t want a Public Inquiry. But we believe that an objective understanding of current Brexit economic impacts and what are potentially long-term economic problems, caused by Brexit, is politically and economically essential.
• In terms of labour shortages, Brexit has certainly been a significant contributing factor – but again, we need a public inquiry to provide an objective assessment that will help both government and opposition parties (and civil society in general) to propose and develop remedies.
• In terms of consumer rights and food safety, we need to know the degree to which Brexit has been compromising them?
• In terms of food prices, trade and inflation, the people of Britain are entitled to know what are the specific Brexit effects as opposed to other shorter-term causatory factors?
• Likewise, in terms of the fight against crime, we all have a right to know what Brexit’s impacts are and are likely to be?
• The UK public are also entitled to have a sober objective non-party-political non-partisan assessment of how Brexit has impacted (and could impact) Northern Ireland – both economically, politically and in security terms?
• Brexit has also impacted the education and research sectors. We need to know the extent of the damage and how it can be remedied.
• The public also has a right to have an objective assessment of whether Brexit has directly or indirectly played any part in stimulating or facilitating the surge in dangerous and often lethal small-boat refugee movements across the Channel?
• In terms of foreign policy, has Brexit reduced or increased our influence abroad?
• On the health and social care front, to what extent has Brexit contributed to damaging the NHS? That’s essential to know – because such an assessment would help put the problems facing our NHS in a more objective context.
• And last, but certainly not least, to what extent did Brexit (and the possibility of any perceived potential weakening of the European Union) play any part in helping to embolden Russia and make it initially think that European reactions to its appalling intended invasion of Ukraine would be less robust than it has been.

The public is entitled to expect Parliament to encourage the government to set up a full-blooded Public Inquiry to provide everyone with answers to all the above questions and others.

Our ability to move forward, as a nation, must be informed by a full knowledge about what has happened as a result of Brexit so far, what is likely to happen in the future and what measures can be taken to mitigate any current or future harms.

Our campaign for a Public Inquiry into the consequences of Brexit should not be a controversial issue. All we are arguing for Is the Public’s right to know – and our political system’s duty to provide the public with accurate and objective information. That can only be achieved through a Public Inquiry.

Our campaign is one which many politicians and others from across the political spectrum should feel able to actively support.