Many supporters of Remain or Leave have portrayed the distributional effects of Brexit as straightforwardly positive or negative. In fact, the potential effects of Brexit on inequality are complex and multifaceted.
A July 2018 report by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) looks at how leaving the EU could impact on inequalities across income groups, geographies, genders and ethnicities.
Key points include:
- While Brexit is unlikely to worsen income inequality, all income groups will face negative impacts
- The sectors likely to be most negatively affected by Brexit tend to be concentrated in London and the South East
- Areas outside London will be most affected by price increases brought about by new trade barriers after Brexit
- Both gender groups are affected by Brexit to a similar degree – with women slightly more affected in the event of a hard Brexit
- Asian/Asian British and Black/Black British groups are more affected in the case of a hard Brexit
