Speech on the 10th anniversary of the United Kingdom's EU membership referendum

The speech marking the 10th anniversary of the UK’s EU membership referendum revisits the consequences of the 2016 vote to leave the European Union and argues that the subsequent decade has delivered uncertainty. Delivered at an event organized with UK in a Changing Europe, the speaker thanks organizers and frames the day as a historic constitutional moment, describing it as the biggest political decision in their lifetime. The address recalls both sides of the campaign and characterizes the aftermath as displaced by slogans and conflict, rather than sustained debate. The speech then links Brexit to bureaucracy and operational disruptions, citing examples such as delayed supermarket deliveries and lorry drivers stuck in Kent, alongside claims about complicated border paperwork. It also references border food spoilage and the lack of a coherent plan for collective continental defence. The speaker concludes by saying the UK still has choices and points to government changes since 2024 aimed at respecting the vote while seeking “fixing” the situation.