Anand Menon and Ben Habib: Has Brexit led to more 'Red Tape' for businesses?

Seven years on from the Brexit vote, Fiona Bruce hosts a special edition of Question Time in Clacton, with an audience of people who voted to leave. What do they now make of post-Brexit Britain?
On the panel, from the Conservatives, the former government minister, John Redwood MP; from Labour, shadow cabinet minister Baroness Chapman; the former adviser to Tony Blair and Remain supporter, Alastair Campbell; the businessman and former Brexit Party MEP, Ben Habib; and Professor Anand Menon, director of UK in a Changing Europ

[@brianferguson7840]

The value of exports is ridiculous unless you factor in "INFLATION"
AFTER A PERIOD OF 12% INFLATION, a £1 widget no costs £1.12p .
So, a thousand widgets exported last year were worth £1,000.
950 widgets exported this year cost £1,062.
Export "Value" up. Number of exported goods down.

[@matlew1960]

Ben Habib would make a great Tory PM. He opens his mouth and the lies pore out so smoothly...

[@duckbizniz663]

Mr. Ben Habib sounds like Mr. Tice, Mr. Brexiteer extraordinaire. Mouthing off numbers invented within his own imagination. Is Mr. Habib saying anything that has to do with reality? Brexit has been implemented for 4 years, yet there is still a need to buy EU goods and services except the UK is a third-party country, not an EU member, so the UK must pay extra to trade with the EU. This is whole point professional economists who study trade as a profession was saying before Brexit. Even if you leave the EU that does not mean you no longer need to buy from the EU. Yes, you can buy from the US, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, ... But what is the cost of transporting it to the UK? Would buying things from the other side of the world actually reduce costs or raise costs? The problem of "getting Brexit done" does not mean you no longer need to buy or sell with the EU. There are things that are easier and cheaper if the UK buys from the EU. By "getting Brexit done" does not mean you can exclude buying from the EU and replacing it with buying from the US, Asia, Africa, or Australia. This is what Brexiteers like Mr. Habib, Mr. Tice, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Rees-Mogg, .... do not understand. You cannot extricate yourself from the largest trading block in the world who also has the most industrialized trading system in the world by simply leaving the EU. By leaving the EU the UK simply have to pay more when trading with the EU. That is all "getting Brexit done" has accomplished, that is paying more for goods and services when trading with the EU, because you cannot stop trading with the EU. Do you understand Mr. Habib or is it Mr. Tice?

[@mikedon5205]

It's staggering what they get away with his thoughts on NI in this programme was actually frightening..
Cluless people given airtime

[@lucasmoreno5330]

Habib won't say that exports figures are heavily distorted by the trade of precious metals.

[@maartenvandam344]

Because of inflation, all these numbers he spouts sound impressive. If you correct for inflation, a different picture emerges.

[@Red1Green2Blue3]

Correct.

[@Paul-eb4jp]

Why does Habib get so much airtime?

[@Hartley_Hare]

The BBC like him because he says what their audience think.

[@Paul-eb4jp]

@@Hartley_Hare The Brexit Backing Corporation

[@Hartley_Hare]

@@Paul-eb4jp They gave Farage a platform and set about making him into a statesman, for reasons which aren't quite clear.

[@emmanuelofori4205]

The "evidence" is that I don't like the evidence 😢😢

[@ArtemisShanks]

“Look at our exports, compared to imports! This proves we were right all along and Brexit was a huge success!”

[@esm7708]

I hate it when they use the export stat because it's nonsense. The ONS who published the figure stated it as well.

[@avakholwadia1420]

Ben Habib talks absoluut nonsense and certainly regarding NI. His arrogance regards the man who clearly has a hands on experience by totally dismissing as not been correct.

[@michaelmouse4024]

The brexit Paradox is that any govt capable of delivering brexit wouldn't (btw an electorate clever enough to decode brexit would reject it).

[@1983pety]

Short answer: Yes.

[@KieranMcenteeKieran]

Goodnight Irene. I mean Habib.

[@johnwakefield3141]

Ben habib for #10 downing Street tut suite quickly if you please!

[@oddballs7747]

Ben habib Ann widdecombe Richard Tice absolute best REFORM party will get the job done

[@Astar-AoK]

😅

[@oddballs7747]

Bruce is scab on tinker's dog's rear end

[@chrissmedley1260]

Brexit has been a disaster because of our spineless government. With the right policy Great Britain could thrive.

[@frankyboy1131]

Yeah. The rich getting richer, the working poor getting poorer. That's what you call 'thrive'. Just believe, then it will happen ... 😅