De 7 Extra | 10 Jaar Brexit: 'Ook de opvolger van Starmer zal het VK niet terug naar de EU leiden'

Summary

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Episode Overview

Podcast: De 7 Extra – De Tijd
Episode Title: 10 Jaar Brexit: 'Ook de opvolger van Starmer zal het VK niet terug naar de EU leiden'
Date: June 22, 2026
Host: Bert Rymen

This special episode of “De 7 Extra” marks the ten-year anniversary of the Brexit referendum. Host Bert Rymen and a panel of political analysts, commentators, and local residents reflect on a decade of change, what Brexit has meant for the UK’s political and social fabric, and why a return to the EU remains unlikely—even under future Labour or Tory governments. The episode explores public sentiment, the evolving British political landscape, and the persistent divisions that Brexit has left in its wake.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Brexit Referendum: A Nation Divided

• The episode opens with a reminder of just how split the UK was in the lead-up to the 2016 vote, highlighting the months of “argument and dispute” ([00:51]) that polarised British society.
• Notable Quote:

  "The British people have spoken and the answer is we're out."
  — Narrator ([00:51])

2. Political Perspectives: Labour, Tories, and New Players

• The political analysts discuss the landscape immediately after the referendum. Brexit wasn’t just a Conservative project—Labour also struggled with its position, and both major parties were caught unprepared for the scale of upheaval ([06:41]).
• The panel notes the rise of new parties such as Reform UK, and how the terms of debate shifted permanently after 2016 ([13:26]).

3. Changing Contexts & Regional Disparities

• The discussion explores the unique perspectives of local residents from northern cities like Manchester and Blackpool ([09:22], [13:26]), highlighting how regions outside of London have used the Brexit upheaval to demand more attention and local power.
• Notable Quote:

  "People here have voted for change. They have voted for more power for the north and everywhere forgotten by Westminster they have voted for hope. Now let's give that back to them. Thank you very much indeed, everybody."
  — Local Politician ([20:53])

4. The “Never-Going-Back” Sentiment

• Both analysts and commentators agree: even with Keir Starmer as Prime Minister, or any plausible future leader, there is neither the political will nor public appetite for rejoining the EU ([20:37]).
• They frame this as a clear and lasting legacy of the referendum—a new status quo for the UK, where “Europe” is no longer the central dividing line, but the wounds of Brexit politics still shape the country’s discourse.

5. Labour's Dilemma and the Reform UK Challenge

• Labour's brief resurgence as a party of hope is tempered by competition from Reform UK, especially in northern constituencies ([22:25]).
• The panel discusses the difficult position for Labour: how to keep its new electorate while facing a reinvigorated Reform UK.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “The British people have spoken and the answer is we’re out.” (Narrator, 00:51)
• "That was new. And that's brighter than that. 2016 was at the ARV on De Trumpfer kissing and van de Breck. It was a yard. The labor and the Tories and our plots and." (Political Commentator, 06:41)
• "People here have voted for change. They have voted for more power for the north and everywhere forgotten by Westminster they have voted for hope. Now let's give that back to them." (Politician, 20:53)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:51 – The results of the Brexit referendum: summary and impact
• 06:41 – Political analysis: the fallout for Labour and the Tories
• 09:22 – Regional voices: Manchester local resident on post-Brexit hope
• 13:26 – Blackpool's perspective and the rise of Reform UK
• 20:37 – The role of Greater Manchester and Starmer's future
• 20:53 – Local politician rallies for change and northern empowerment
• 22:25 – The challenge Labour faces from Reform UK

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Conclusion

This anniversary episode offers both a look back on the seismic impact of Brexit and a sober analysis of why, even in 2026, Britain’s departure from the EU is viewed as irreversible by the political class. While regional voices continue to demand attention and reform, national parties—Labour and the Tories alike—are adapting to a permanently altered landscape. Brexit’s legacy, it seems, is a new normal for UK politics, where Europe is no longer the dominant question, but real unity and consensus remain elusive.

Transcript

[Host]

Asset management.

[News Reporter]

Welcome Bern extra of flavoring van de sever from the dead. That is bertraime.

[Political Analyst]

Hallo and welcome. Bert is the zeven extra over in van die. Organizer the Britain referendum over the Brexit. Vorlach and die Publika opini de weke and manda darvoor al sehr alt verdelt marte ochtent nat referendum tasbehner verffeur kommung de BBC hut volchener.

[Narrator]

And that's the result of this referendum which has been preceded by weeks and months of argument and dispute and all the rest of it. The British people have spoken and the answer is we're out.

[Political Analyst]

Politicianalist and editorialist and henk deyden kollega von the berthel on redakshi and netruch van de overkhand vanadkanal on the temperature.

[Local Resident]

Yeah.

[Political Analyst]

Did our op const. That was well new octun in the British context

[Political Commentator]

that was new. And that's brighter than that.2016 was at the ARV on De Trumpfer kissing and van de Breck. It was a yard. The labor and the Tories and our plots and. Well. The withdrawal agreement Britain. To see the Republik Ireland and North Ireland.

[Local Resident]

Manchester who you blew in the student van Zodrader. You birthed the stud tract and you sprigged mansus was mentzed. In Hope street. And was in Jurgel.

[Political Analyst]

Is telling the darduz Blake that is that referendum of badat referendum.

[Political Commentator]

Well politikas de restauterflas the last the Brexit parte.

[Political Analyst]

Tipping.

[Local Resident]

In Blackpool in the erst reform uk.

[Political Analyst]

Yeah.

[Political Commentator]

Programmer on student.

[Political Analyst]

Burnham Burgl from Greater Manchester and D is ja verkoss dar in at lagerheis nu kamp van Daret was premier Keir Starmer and besehen verkissing sehei hut volken.

[Politician]

People here have voted for change. They have voted for more power for the north and everywhere forgotten by Westminster they have voted for hope. Now let's give that back to them. Thank you very much indeed, everybody.

[Local Resident]

It was who commissioned the last Bach van Hope for Labor. Reform uk that. For labor if reform UK.

[News Reporter]

This was the sewer extra.

[Host]

In the world. Asset management.