Sunak marks Brexit anniversary by claiming benefits will ‘continue to empower communities’ – UK politics live

Latest updates: prime minister says ‘freedoms unlocked by Brexit’ will help growth as IMF says UK economy will shrink

Good morning. At 11pm the UK will mark the third anniversary of the moment that it left the European Union. Increasingly, by a margin of around 60% to 40%, Britons are saying that this was a mistake, but in the Conservative party conceding anything like this would amount to a thought crime, such is the grip the Brexiters have on the party, and instead ministers are marking the anniversary by talking up the supposed benefits.

Still, what the government is saying about Brexit is still considerably less upbeat than what Boris Johnson and his colleagues were saying, or promising, this time three years ago. This is what Rishi Sunak said about the anniversary in a statement released overnight.

In the three years since leaving the EU, we’ve made huge strides in harnessing the freedoms unlocked by Brexit to tackle generational challenges. Whether leading Europe’s fastest vaccine rollout, striking trade deals with over 70 countries or taking back control of our borders, we’ve forged a path as an independent nation with confidence.

And in my first 100 days as prime minister, that momentum hasn’t slowed – we’re cutting red tape for businesses, levelling up through our freeports, and designing our own, fairer farming system to protect the British countryside.