Eight ways Brexit will directly affect you
We’re just shy of a week from the Leave vote that rocked the nation. Britain (and the world) has yet to come to terms with the decision to leave the European Union.
Since then, a virtual flood of information has hit the media. Some of it inaccurate, some of it scaremongering, most of it overwhelming.
The one certainty: we just don’t know what will happen. There’s also lots of negotiation ahead.
Indeed, we’re still waiting for officials to pull the trigger on Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty — a necessity to officially begin the process of leaving the EU.
Here’s eight ways how Brexit may affect you:
- Your pounds won’t get you as far
You may have noticed the markets have had a bit of a freak out and the pound has taken a pummelling. The New York Times and BBC News have the details:
Will things even out? Until all the dust settles –and again that’s a two-year timeframe– it’s hard to tell.
Even if the pound pulls itself together and bucks up compared to the dollar, the euro comparison will always be particularly influential, given Europe is a close neighbour.
2. Food will be more expensive
A climb in food prices is one of the earliest fallouts of a vote to leave the EU.
Most of what we eat is imported, and prices on these goods will rise, as the Guardian explains.
3. There’s already more racism and bigotry
It hasn’t even been a week, and racist attacks are rampant — depressing news for a supposedly modern, well-educated country.
The number of hate crimes reported to police have soared by a whopping 57%, according to The Huffington Post UK:
4. Britons living in Europe and Europeans living in the UK face uncertainty about their visas
Don’t worry, no one is going to be booted out of the UK or Europe (yet).
For Brits living in Europe or Europeans living in Britain, there will be no change until the UK officially leaves the EU.
However, while long-term expats may be able to stay, the automatic right to live and work in EU countries is expected to end.
Around 1.3 million Brits live in Europe, The Independent reports, with Spain as the top continental choice:
The Mirror goes in-depth on the Brexit impact on Britons living in Spain:
And on just who’s taking care of you when you are sick:
5. More jobs for Brits? Not necessarily
While a drop in immigration was touted as more jobs for UK citizens, investors are dropping the UK like a hot coal, as BBC News explains:
Some deals have already gone belly up, as The Daily Mail reports:
6.There may be friction between young and old Brits
The UK’s older population decided the Brexit results, as an article in Time reveals:
And that has caused resentment, as this piece in the Guardian explores:
Why are the young moaning if they didn’t vote? An opinion piece in The Independent explores this:
7. Europe or beyond, holidays will be more expensive
Basic costs will rise, thanks to the fall of the pound and dismal exchange rates. If that’s for the long or short term, we just don’t know yet. The Independent reports on travel after Brexit.
Then there’s those cheap flights. Airlines keep costs down thanks to an EU agreement called ‘Open Skies’ — Brexit could see this curtailed.
8. Hope remains
Worried? You shouldn’t be. Keanu Reeves is here to save us:
So, in short; The UK is going to have to sit tight as we sort out the terms of our divorce.
But in the words of Taylor Swift, and if Article 50 is triggered, it’s probably safe to say that “we are never ever getting back together” with the European Union.
Words: Mairi Beautyman
Top image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
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Originally published at medium.com on June 28, 2016.
