Gordon Brown on Brexit

Gordon Brown has been a prominent and vocal critic of the execution and consequences of Brexit, arguing that "Getting Brexit done is leaving Britain undone" and poses a serious threat to the United Kingdom itself. He has repeatedly warned that the departure destabilises the Union, particularly noting the impact on Scotland and Northern Ireland, and suggests that competing nationalisms, including Brexit nationalism, are divisive forces. While he accepted in mid-2021 that rejoining the EU was unlikely in the short term, the former Prime Minister explicitly stated he would not give up pushing for the UK to return to the European Union.

He contextualised his opposition by noting that the Remain campaign failed because it relied on a negative, fear-based approach, suggesting the slogan should have been 'leading, not leaving' to showcase a positive vision of European leadership. Furthermore, he argued that the crisis runs deeper than Brexit, stemming from economic insecurity and a breakdown of trust in politics, problems which he contends nationalism cannot solve. He has proposed significant constitutional reform within the UK as an alternative to nationalist division, suggesting a Forum of the Nations and Regions.