How Brexit devastated small businesses in Britain: a five-year retrospective

Five years after Brexit, small businesses in Britain continue to grapple with its devastating consequences, from crippling paperwork to lost markets.

Five years after the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union, the repercussions of Brexit continue to reverberate through the nation’s small business community. What was once heralded as a path to prosperity has instead become a labyrinth of bureaucratic hurdles and economic challenges.

Entrepreneurs across Britain share their stories of struggle, resilience, and, in some cases, surrender.

The promises of a sunlit upland have given way to a landscape littered with obstacles. From cheesemakers to berry farmers, the narrative is one of unforeseen hardships and lost opportunities.

The government’s focus on large corporations left small businesses to navigate a complex web of new regulations and trade barriers.

The cheese maker’s dilemma

Simon Spurrell, a Cheshire cheesemaker, found himself at the mercy of Brexit’s red tape.

His award-winning cheese, once a staple in EU markets, became a casualty of the new trade rules. Each export, regardless of value, required a £180 health certificate, a cost that quickly eroded his profits. “Every small business that issues animal foodstuff – meat, cheese, dairy, eggs, even pet food – suffered massively,” Spurrell lamented.

Spurrell’s story is not unique. Many small producers found themselves trapped on this island competing for a shrinking domestic market. The National Farmers’ Union reported a 37.4% decrease in farm product exports to the EU since 2019. The once-thriving export market had become a distant memory, replaced by a struggle for survival.

The farmer’s retirement

Alastair Brooks, a berry farmer in Kent, faced a similar fate. The end of free movement and the subsequent seasonal worker shortage forced him to adapt or perish. Brooks turned to workers from Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, but the instability and uncertainty of the new system proved too much. “We stopped the business probably because of the politicians that gave us Brexit rather than Brexit itself,” he admitted.

The lack of a 10-year strategy or vision for post-Brexit agriculture left farmers like Brooks in the lurch. The government’s failure to prepare adequately for the transition exacerbated the challenges. Brooks, like many others, chose early retirement over a relentless battle against bureaucratic inefficiency.

The wine importer’s nightmare

Daniel Lambert, a British-French dual national, found himself in a similar predicament. His wine import/export business, once a seamless operation, became a total, utter nightmare. The cost of doing business in the UK since Brexit had spiraled fivefold, from £30,000 to £166,000 a year. The once-simple process of selling wine into the UK had ballooned into a complex web of paperwork and regulations.

Lambert’s experience highlights the government’s blue-chip bias. Legislation was designed with large corporations in mind, leaving small businesses to grapple with the consequences. “Legislation is always made by governments for blue-chip companies first. They start with them, consult them and they never think about the small guys who cannot conform to stuff that is being introduced,” he said.

The wire supplier’s struggle

Mark Ormiston, a sixth-generation supplier of wires, saw his EU business halved. Initially, he hoped for a rebound, but the reality was far bleaker. His business is now down 33% from pre-Brexit days. Ormiston, like many others, cannot name a single advantage of Brexit. “Britain is only going to move on when it starts realising it’s one little cog in a whole load of cogs that make up the EU,” he remarked.

The stories of Spurrell, Brooks, Lambert, and Ormiston are just a few examples of the devastating impact Brexit has had on small businesses. As the UK continues to grapple with the consequences of its departure from the EU, the future remains uncertain for many entrepreneurs.