If Brexit is to blame for Britain’s economic woes what’s the EU’s excuse?

Politicians across the political spectrum are quick to blame Brexit for Britain's economic struggles, but this argument conveniently absolves them of direct responsibility for many problems, says Paul Ormerod. While the Labour government is pointing the finger at Brexit, it is important to acknowledge that this issue is affecting the entire EU, not just the UK.

Major Western European economies, including France, Germany, and Italy, have been experiencing low growth rates since 2016, averaging around 1.2 percent, 1.1 percent, and 0.8 percent, respectively. The only major Western economies showing decent growth over this period have been the United States, Canada, and Australia, all with around 2 percent growth.

It is clear that the poor growth performance is a common issue among Western European countries, and Brexit's impact is relatively minor. When examining the UK specifically, productivity growth since Brexit has been disappointingly low at only 0.5 percent a year, identical to the growth experienced between the end of the 2008 financial crisis and the Brexit vote.

This stagnation in productivity growth has led to growing discontent with traditional ruling political parties across Western Europe. In Germany, the CDU party is facing a decline in popularity due to the rise of the Alternative for Germany party, while in France, Marine Le Pen's National Rally is gaining substantial support in the upcoming presidential election, with far-left candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon also performing well.

The discontent is not solely attributed to Brexit, as immigration is also a factor, and slow growth in France and Germany, as well as the rise of Le Pen and the AfD, are not solely due to Brexit. It is time for British politicians to move beyond the comfort blanket of blaming Brexit and address the real issues impacting the country's economy and political landscape.