Researchers at the thinktank Demos studied regional differences in the reliance on exports to the EU, use of European workers and receipt of support grants. It found that Wales, the north-east and east Midlands all showed relatively heavy dependence despite being home to a preponderance of leave voters. The exercise also assumed that regional support funds from Brussels and easy access to European labour would disappear after Brexit, both factors with a disproportionate impact on certain regions. “Despite overwhelmingly voting in favour of leaving the European Union, Wales stands to be the region worst hit by the UK’s departure from the EU,” concluded the Demos report. Nonetheless, the regional analysis was supported by a separate exercise that looked at the impact on particular industrial sectors.

Source: The Guardian March 26, 2017 23:02 UTC