• In this essay, I will present 3 or more reasons, citing textual evidence that answers the essential question, “What were the reasons the British people chose to leave the EU?”, and close with how it relates to today.

    First, Brexit allows for financial growth in Britain while also granting it full power over its money. Paragraph 7 of 17 reasons to love Brexit states, “Come Brexit, the government will be able to design funding to fit the country’s priorities.” Brexit is essentially the “British Exit” out of the European Union. The European Union is a supranational cooperation among European countries to work together toward expected benefits. The United Kingdom, though, recently wished to leave this cooperation due to some reasons, one of which was finance. In the EU, all the countries pool all their money made from each of their economies together so it can be utilized toward a common goal of the EU. While this seems like a fair idea, from the UK’s perspective, it is not. If there’s a financially weak country, all the money earned by the hard-working countries will not be spent on them, but instead on the improvement of the economically weak country. In recent years, as COVID-19 caused trouble, it was the EU’s responsibility to provide money for the healthcare and well-being of its citizens. So the money profited from the UK’s economy was used for the citizens of the UK’s health, but it could have also been used for some other country financially too weak to support itself. Another example is the war in Ukraine; since it’s a member of the EU, the EU would do its best to protect Ukraine using its resources, including the money it has. Great Britain wishes to have the money they earn spent on themselves, which is a reasonable request. Once the UK went through with Brexit, they had more control over their money too, as the EU wasn’t regulating it anymore. Financial wealth and interests are one of the primary reasons for Brexit.

                Second, Brexit benefits native British people, their lives, and their economy. “The government has made clear it doesn’t want to scrap the EU’s employment laws,” is stated in paragraph 14 of the 17 reasons to love Brexit. One of the primary benefits of the EU is that you can effortlessly cross the borders of EU countries, no questions asked. This allows people to more easily attain careers with good salaries, but even this will cause conflict. Compared to Western Europe, including the countries of Germany, France, Spain, etc., Central and Eastern European countries are not as rich and have lower wages. Due to the fact that people in these poorer countries wish to be more successful by receiving high-paying jobs in richer countries, they immigrate to the West. From there, the citizens find jobs that they meet the criteria for. As more citizens from other European countries take jobs in the UK, that will leave fewer jobs for UK citizens. While this benefits individuals in other countries, it is a problem for UK citizens. They need a job that provides them with a steady income to support themselves and their families. If more people in a region are jobless, it will harm the area’s economy. To prevent this trouble, many people in Great Britain wanted to leave the EU. This will cause more border restrictions in the UK, making it more difficult for foreigners to enter and search for jobs. This act secures jobs for the locals. For the sake of themselves and their economy, the people of Great Britain left the EU.

                Third, Brexit will restore the sovereignty of Britain and give back its former rights. In 17 reasons to love Brexit, “Leaving the EU reopens whole areas of policymaking off limits for decades,” is stated in paragraph 16 of 17 reasons to love Brexit. When joining almost any supranational cooperation, some sacrifices must be made, such as giving up power. The EU regulates problems in the environment, defense, and foreign affairs. Since the EU handles those subjects, each country has little to no power on the matter unless it expresses its opinion on the topic during EU meetings. In the UK, any British citizen may vote for the Prime Minister or for a member of Parliament. In the EU, taking Germany as an example, any German citizen and/or EU citizen inhabiting Germany may vote in the elections for the German government or the overall EU government. The people of Great Britain vote on their representatives to decide who they want as PM, who should be in Parliament, and who should represent the UK while they are in the EU. Even though the UK has 78 representatives in the EU parliament, it might be difficult for them to still persuade the representatives of the other countries due to each country having various opinions due to their own national interests. With Brexit, on the other hand, the UK has the privileges it had before joining the EU and may decide on serious matters based on its own national interests. For example, if the UK’s government desires to make improvements to its citizens' healthcare, it no longer has to tediously discuss the matter with the rest of the EU. Instead, it can take matters into its own hands and give its citizens wonderful healthcare. Sovereignty is another item the UK has redeemed after Brexit.

    In conclusion, three benefits led to Brexit, also known as the British Exit from the European Union. Financial growth was one advantage that helped the UK prosper. Economic stability is secure with limited travel over Great Britain’s border. Finally, the power to make decisions is restored to the UK’s government, elected by the people. This connects to today when we observed the advantages the UK and its people received once leaving the EU. With them being allowed to spend money they earned through hard work, they can improve the cities with better roads and buildings, better education for the children, and better healthcare for citizens. Since it would be more difficult for foreigners to snatch up jobs in the UK, UK citizens would be more easily able to get them. For example, if a mother is attempting to support her children by herself, she would need a steady income. That might be more difficult to achieve if she has competition for a job from citizens of other countries. Finally, the restoration of sovereignty ensures the government can focus on its citizens’ concerns. Let’s say Great Britain has environmental issues it must focus on; if it were still in the EU, it would be a tedious task to persuade everyone before taking action on them. It is essential to understand why the UK went ahead with Brexit and how it impacts their nation for the sake of its people. Those are three vital reasons why the British people chose to exit the EU.