Ten Years After Brexit: Havering Voted To Leave By Nearly 70% But Did Residents Get What They Were Promised?
Ten years ago, Havering made its feelings crystal clear.When the country went to the polls in June 2016, Havering recorded one of the strongest Leave votes anywhere in London. A total of 96,885 residents voted to leave the European Union compared to 42,201 who voted to remain, meaning almost 70 per cent of voters backed Brexit.
Nationally, Leave won with 51.9 per cent of the vote against 48.1 per cent for Remain.
The message from Havering was unmistakable. Residents wanted change.
They wanted Britain to leave the European Union.
They wanted greater control over laws, borders and trade.
But ten years on, a growing number of residents are asking a difficult question:
Did we actually get the Brexit we voted for?
For some Havering residents, the answer is no.
Many who supported leaving the EU say they feel frustrated not necessarily because Britain left, but because they believe Brexit has never been fully delivered.
One resident described the situation as “the hokey cokey of politics.”
“We’ve spent ten years with one foot in and one foot out,” they said. “Sometimes politicians tell us we’ve left. Other times they talk about closer alignment. People are confused.”
Immigration remains one of the biggest concerns raised by residents who voted Leave.
During the referendum campaign, many Brexit supporters argued that leaving the EU would allow Britain to take greater control of immigration policy. Yet some residents say they do not believe the changes they expected have materialised.
“We were told we’d take back control,” said one resident. “A lot of people voted on that basis and now they don’t feel they’ve got what they voted for.”
Others point to rising costs and trade difficulties.
During the campaign, Brexit supporters argued that leaving the EU would create new global opportunities and allow Britain to negotiate its own trade deals.
However, some local residents and businesses question whether they are better off than they were a decade ago.
“We keep hearing about opportunities,” one resident said. “But when people look at their bills and the cost of living, they ask where the benefits are.”
Not everyone in Havering wanted Brexit in the first place.
The 42,201 residents who voted Remain have also watched the last decade unfold with frustration.
Some argue that Brexit has created additional barriers for businesses, travel and trade while failing to deliver the economic boost promised by campaigners.
Others believe the entire debate has become less about Europe and more about trust in politicians.
“It’s not even Leave versus Remain anymore,” said another resident. “People just want honesty. They want politicians to tell them what Brexit has achieved and what it hasn’t.”
The promises made during the referendum campaign remain the subject of debate.
Supporters of Brexit pointed to:
- Taking back control of UK laws
- Greater control over immigration
- Independent trade deals
- Reduced EU influence over British decisions
- More money available for domestic priorities
Critics argue that many of those promises have either not been fully realised or have produced mixed results.
Meanwhile, supporters of Brexit counter that Britain has regained control of its lawmaking and trade policy, and that global events including Covid-19, the war in Ukraine and economic instability have made it difficult to judge Brexit’s impact in isolation.
What is clear is that the issue remains deeply divisive.
Recent polling and public debate suggest many voters across the country continue to question whether Brexit has delivered the outcomes they expected. Some former Leave voters believe it has not gone far enough, while some Remain voters believe it was a mistake from the beginning.
In Havering, where nearly seven in ten voters backed Leave, those questions may be louder than anywhere else in London.
Ten years after one of the most significant votes in British history, many residents are still searching for the same answer:
Britain voted to leave.
But did it get the Brexit people thought they were voting for?
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Like the rest of the country, Havering voters never got what they were promised by the Leave campaign, but instead got what the Remain campaign warned they were likely to end up with.
What has not been implemented? Boris Johnson had a huge majority to implement Brexit, so don’t blame remainers.
Havering council voted to leave. Is there a record of how the individual councillors voted?