# The Booker prize winner described a dystopian Britain. But haven’t we been living in that since Brexit? | Zoe Williams

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/the-booker-prize-winner-described-a-dystopian-britain-but-havent-we-been-living-in-that-since-brexit-zoe-williams/
- Published: 2026-11-12T08:00:13+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-12T08:21:57+00:00
- Original publisher: The Guardian (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/nov/12/brexits-gains-were-a-fiction-its-harms-are-real-we-dont-have-to-go-on-living-in-this-nightmare
- Topics: Elections, Government, Politics, UK, World

## Key points

- Brexit’s promised benefits have not materialised, the article argues.
- Most Leave voters now back a youth mobility scheme.
- The writer says Starmer must persuade his party to reconsider.

## Summary

The article argues that Brexit’s promised gains were largely fictional, while its economic and political costs have become clear. It compares post-Brexit Britain with the bleak, isolated setting of M John Harrison’s Booker-winning novel, and says growing public support for closer European ties gives Keir Starmer an opportunity to change course if he can persuade his party.

The piece says leaving the EU damaged prosperity by weakening ties with Britain’s biggest trading partners, while policies aimed at reducing migration and foreign students have also hurt the economy and universities. It cites polling in which 57% say Brexit was a bad idea and 30% say it was the right choice; 59% of Leave voters and 73% of Conservatives support a youth mobility scheme. The supplied article text ends partway through a discussion of Andy Burnham’s approach to Brexit.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.