'Brexit is the single most impactful political decision on my life, and I had no say': young people on Brexit

Young people say they continue to feel “trapped” after 10 years after Brexit, a decision they overwhelmingly voted against which ended their right to live and work abroad.

Today, Rose Mason and Ralph Blackburn reflect a decade after the decision changed politics.

Across a series of exclusive articles released on Monday online on The Yorkshire Post, the public perception and mood of Brexit is highlighted.

“Leaving the European Union has completely reshaped the landscape for British agriculture,” the president of the National Farmers’ Union has said, reflecting on 10 years since the referendum.

“Yorkshire was particularly poorer because of the importance of farming, manufacturing and food production,” North Yorkshire business owner Jo Foster said.

Unfortunately, the bitter referendum campaign has polarised the country, we believe.

Follow the rest of our coverage of the special here.

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From a young age, Evie Wynne, 23, loved France. She spent a year abroad in Paris as part of her degree at the University of Sheffield, securing a place in the last year of the Erasmus scheme.

She believes the programme allowing UK students to study within the European Union, which is due to finally return after Brexit in 2027, can broaden young people's horizons.

She said: “I think our education system is so limited in terms of exposing us to other cultures and languages. It’s so pivotal for British students to have that exposure to another country.

“Removing the Erasmus funding makes it extremely inaccessible for people who don't have massive economic privilege.”

Evie met her French boyfriend during her year abroad and said: “I think we were slightly naïve to the extent that was going to affect us and our relationship.

“It’s made it difficult, having to be very careful how long we spend in each other's countries, counting our days.”

Her boyfriend is now “really keen” to move to the UK, but to be eligible for the ‘Skilled Worker’ visa, he’d have to be earning more than £41,700 per year, which is unlikely as an early career chef.

Evie feels that Brexit “completely disregarded” the interests of young people: “It’s made both of us feel trapped by a system and decision that we had no say in.”

According to Full Fact, a poll estimated that 73 per cent of under-25s voted Remain in the EU referendum, which ended free movement of Britons to member countries.

Evie said: “This decision was made when I was 13. It was the political decision with the single most impact on my own life and I had absolutely no voice in that.”

Reece Oliver, 30, and Evie Blythe, 29, wanted to move to Berlin, a city they loved and “ticked a lot of boxes” for them as a couple.

They visited on a 90-day tourist visa hoping to find work, but after facing £3000 per person in visa fees, they realised their new life was out of reach.

Reece said: “We quickly understood the bureaucracy levels and how intense and expensive the process is, for not even a guaranteed outcome of getting a job.”

He explained the first step to getting a German visa post-Brexit was to have a registered mailing address, but the couple couldn’t get an address without already having a visa.

He said: “People were renting out their letterboxes so people were able to use their registered address.

“It put a lot of stress and pressure on our time there.”

His partner Evie added: “We just wanted to have a lovely time together. Berlin felt like our new home but we weren't able to set up.”

She said the process of trying to find work also made her feel unwanted and judged for Brexit.

She said: “Why would they give a job to an English person when we decided to separate ourselves?”

Reece is now tracing back his Irish lineage, digging out marriage and birth certificates in the hope to get an EU passport which could allow the couple free movement in the future.

He said: “There’s so much to learn beyond the UK border that I believe everyone would benefit from, especially at a young age when you’re seeing the world for the first time.

“It’s a real shame and loss of opportunity for young people in the Brexit generation.”