Hugh Grant shared his unhappiness about Brexit as he met with the panel of the woke US daily show The View.
In the clip, which has resurfaced since first airing in June, Grant was asked whether he thought Britain’s decision to leave the European Union in 2016 had “ruined” the UK.
The actor has repeatedly challenged the outcome of the vote, describing Brexit as a “catastrophe” shortly after the process was finalised in 2020.
Presenter Joy Behar asked: “Do you think that Brexit has ruined your country?”
Grant candidly responded: “Well, I do, said with a smile. Actually, now the majority of Brits do as well, I think.”
The presenter suggested the withdrawal could still be “fixed” but Grant expressed doubts about whether Brussels would let London re-apply to the Union after years of strained negotiations.
He added: “Yeah, the Europeans may not want us back. They may say, ‘well, choose one and stick to it’.”
Co-host Whoopi Goldberg also pointed out that seeking readmission to the European Union would be “very pricey” for the UK, with Grant noting London would also not have the same benefits it enjoyed before such as the rebate on membership contributions.
According to Statista, support rates for Brexit have sunk in parallel with the approval ratings of the Government since July 2022.
A YouGov poll of 2,069 British adults conducted between July 19 and 20 found 55 percent of respondents thought it was wrong of the UK to quit the EU compared to 33 percent still in favour of leaving.
And a poll of polls from the non-partisan What UK Thinks EU, the average of six major surveys carried out in July 2023 found 58 percent of all respondents were in favour of rejoining the European Union.
Over the past week, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has been met with criticism from staunch Eurosceptics over his decision to shelve pivotal post-Brexit policies they insist are necessary to “take back control” of regulations.
Sunak and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt reiterated their focus remains on curbing prices for businesses in the face of higher inflation.
But the strategy has been met with backlash from members of the pro-Brexit European Research Group, who have continued to argue not enough is being done to completely remove the influence of European policy from UK law.
ERG deputy chair David Jones said: “The Remain tendency inside the Treasury have triumphed for the time being and are tying us to EU regulations. It’s very disappointing.”
“Part of leaving the EU was to have our own regulatory regime that was more suited to UK conditions than the EU one. We should be cracking on with it.”
Former Home Secretary Priti Patel echoed Jones’s assessment, and warned attempts to transform the UK have effectively “stalled.”
She told the Financial Times: “Free from the grip of Brussels we had a great opportunity to transform our country into a low-tax beacon of free trade. But delivering on that potential has stalled.”
Sunak had previously fended off criticism after agreeing with Brussels to the Windsor Framework devised to reduce the obstacles the Northern Ireland Protocol included in the Brexit agreement created for trade.
He also U-turned on the quintessential pro-Brexit pledge to scrap all “retained EU law” before the end of 2023.
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