image source, alex bastian
Alex Bastian, along with his wife Ljoza and children Niko and Ilya, say Brexit has made it difficult for them to remain in Sweden, the country they considered home.
- author, Susana Mendonça
- role, BBC Radio London political reporter
At his apartment in Richmond upon Thames, Alex Bastian shows me photos of his family enjoying a day out by the seaside in the countryside he calls home.
He and his wife Ljösa moved to Sweden about eight years ago. Their children Ilya, 7, and Niko, 5, were born there, but the family’s dream of staying in Sweden ended when Britain formally left the European Union four years ago. It was shattered.
This ended freedom of movement between the UK and EU member states, with European nationals living in the UK having to apply for settled status to stay in the UK, but British nationals living in EU countries also having to apply for settled status to stay in the UK. I had to apply for the right to stay.
Alex did just that in Sweden, but his application was rejected and he and his family were almost deported.
Alex told me: “We felt like European nationals…Sweden was our home.” But he added that Brexit “has caused a lot of headaches for many British people. “And I think a lot of other EU countries have interpreted the rules quite harshly, like Sweden.” And it made life very difficult for many British people living there. ”
image source, alex bastian
Visit the seaside of Helsingborg, Sweden, a member of the European Union
Alex had an Irish grandmother and applied for an Irish passport to avoid deportation.
This whole experience made him and his wife feel that they were no longer welcome in Sweden and decided to return to London.
His family now lives in Richmond, southwest London, a borough that in 2016 was even more pro-European than the capital as a whole. At the time, almost 60% of Londoners voted to remain in the EU. Britain chose to leave.
Since then, recent polls have shown that Londoners are far less favorable to the idea of leaving the EU. Around 60% of those questioned said they thought Brexit had failed and we should rejoin some of them.
Brexit continues to divide opinion and family opinion
I spoke to Fiona while gauging public opinion in Richmond town centre. Fiona said some of her family still won’t talk to her because she voted for Brexit in the 2016 referendum.
She told me that she hopes that eventually a deal will be reached on Brexit, and that over time people will think that Brexit is a “very good thing” and “the best way forward”. He said it would be.
image source, BBC/Susana Mendonça
Fiona said some of her family still hadn’t spoken to her since voting for Brexit.
But another Richmond resident had the opposite opinion. Lorna blamed Brexit for the increased costs Londoners have faced. She said: “I think this has thrown everything into gear. The cost of living right now is astronomical and it’s a tough situation for all of us.”
image source, BBC/Susana Mendonça
Lorna blames Brexit for rising cost of living
The impact of Brexit on London’s economy
London’s economy has been affected by Brexit, and industries such as hospitality and construction are struggling to fill positions.
A recent report commissioned by the Mayor of London, who has long opposed Brexit, found that there are now 290,000 fewer jobs in the capital than there would have been had Brexit not happened.
The Cambridge Econometrics report also said Brexit has cost London’s economy £30bn so far.
image source, BBC/Susana Mendonça
London’s hospitality industry has been hit by a talent shortage since Brexit
Dr Jack Brown, London Research Lecturer at King’s College London, said the “starvation shortage in the hospitality industry” “seems to be very directly linked to Brexit”.
But he said other factors, such as the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, were also impacting on London’s economy and workforce, so “what happened with Brexit, what happened with coronavirus, It’s incredibly difficult to figure out exactly what’s going on.”
image source, BBC/Susana Mendonça
Dr Jack Brown says Brexit isn’t the only thing impacting London’s economy and workforce
The City of London said there were fears that London’s position as the world’s financial services capital would collapse after Brexit, but that was not the case.
Chris Hayward, chair of the policy committee, said that for all the jobs London has lost as a result of Brexit, “new jobs are coming from the EU”, pointing to the growth of London’s technology sector. did.
image source, BBC/Susana Mendonça
City of London’s Chris Hayward says London’s financial services sector has ‘survived’ Brexit
The City of London released its own report last week saying London had regained the title of the world’s top financial centre, but some argue New York still holds the title.
Regarding the impact of Brexit on London’s financial sector, Mr Hayward said: If it were me I wouldn’t have voted for Brexit…but the fact of the matter is I think we’re surviving and moving forward. ”
A Treasury spokesperson said the government was “taking full advantage of the freedom to leave the EU to grow the economy” and that reforms to the financial services sector would “free up over £100bn of investment”. .