“Brexit caused the United Kingdom to become poorer, weaker, and less secure.” — Rachel Reeves. Our verdict: Unverified.
Rachel Reeves made the claim in an article for the Sunday Times, reported by Politico, on 1 November 2026.
Our verdict
Unverified
We could not find enough public evidence to confirm or refute the claim that Brexit made the UK poorer, weaker and less secure. The claim was made by Rachel Reeves, but the data we found does not show that Brexit caused these outcomes.
Know something that settles it? Send us evidenceWhat we found
Rachel Reeves did make this claim, according to Politico, which reported that she wrote in the Sunday Times that Brexit has made the UK poorer, weaker and less secure. So the statement itself is real. But the evidence we found does not allow us to say whether the claim is true. On the economy, the Office for National Statistics shows that growth in GDP per head has slowed and that GDP per head was 0.6% below its pre-pandemic level in the second quarter of 2024. However, this data does not separate the effect of Brexit from other big factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic, global inflation and population growth. On defence, government figures show the UK met its NATO 2% spending target and ranked fifth in the world in 2024. That does not tell us whether the UK has become weaker in military capability or diplomatic influence. On security, the government says it is maintaining and strengthening international intelligence partnerships, but this is its own assessment, not an independent audit. We also found no evidence directly linking any change in security to Brexit.
The evidence
1 contradict and 3 support the claim, of 6 sources.
- Background
Politico reported that Rachel Reeves wrote in the Sunday Times that Brexit has made the UK poorer, weaker and less secure. [1]
- Supports the claim
The Office for National Statistics publishes official data on UK GDP per head, which is one measure of economic output per person. [2]
- Supports the claim
The Office for National Statistics found that growth in real GDP per head has slowed in recent years, and that it was 0.6% below its pre-pandemic level in the second quarter of 2024. [3]
- Supports the claim
The Office for National Statistics estimated that real GDP per head showed no growth in the third quarter of 2025 and was up 0.8% compared with the same quarter a year earlier. [4]
- Background
Government figures show the UK maintained its NATO 2% defence spending target and its fifth place global ranking in 2024. [5]
- Contradicts the claim
The UK government says it is maintaining and strengthening international intelligence partnerships, but this is its own statement rather than an independent assessment. [6]
What we could not confirm
- Whether Brexit caused the UK to become poorer, as the economic data does not separate Brexit from other factors such as the pandemic, global inflation and population growth.
- Whether Brexit caused the UK to become weaker, as we found no independent assessment of military capability or diplomatic influence that links any decline to Brexit.
- Whether Brexit caused the UK to become less secure, as we found no evidence linking changes in security, such as cyber attacks, to Brexit.
How we checked
We looked at the original Politico report, official economic data and analysis from the Office for National Statistics, government figures on defence spending, and a government response to a parliamentary intelligence report. We could not find enough public evidence to confirm or refute the claim. If you have evidence that bears on this question, please send it to us. We reviewed 6 relevant sources.
Sources
- [1]www.politico.eu · UK’s future lies in EU, says Rachel Reeves
- [2]ons.gov.uk · Gross domestic product (Average) per head, CVM market prices (reference year = 2024) £: SA - Office for National Statistics
- [3]ons.gov.uk · Trends in UK real GDP per head - Office for National Statistics
- [4]ons.gov.uk · GDP first quarterly estimate, UK - Office for National Statistics
- [5]gov.uk · Finance and economics annual statistical bulletin: international defence 2025 · December 4, 2025
- [6]gov.uk · Government Response to the Intelligence and Security Committee Report 'International Partnerships' · February 22, 2024
- [7]Photo: Lauren Hurley / No 10 Downing Street / Wikimedia Commons, OGL 3
Help us check this claim
We could not find enough public evidence to confirm or refute this claim. If you know of an official record, dataset, transcript or report that settles it, send us the link. We review every submission and update this fact check when the evidence changes the picture.
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