'Punchy, pithy and short.' – Polly Toynbee, Guardian columnist
Brexit changed Britain. But what does it actually change for you?
Brexit Without the Bullshit is the no-nonsense, evidence-based guide to the biggest UK political, legal and economic shake-up in generations — "the book Nigel Farage doesn't want you to read." Instead of recycled talking points, Gavin Esler focuses on what voters were rarely shown in 2016: the practical consequences of leaving the European Union for households, workplaces, public services and the UK's place in the world.
Brexit isn't a single "done" moment. It's a process: referendum fallout, Article 50, negotiation deadlines, transition periods, and then years of new rules. That process touches everything: trade, immigration, regulation, security, and even the future of the United Kingdom. If you've ever wondered what "take back control" means in real life — on supermarket shelves, at the border, in hospitals, in schools, and in pay packets — this book is your clear-headed map.
You'll learn how big political choices become everyday friction:
- Brexit explained simply: the EU single market, customs union, frictionless trade, regulatory alignment, and why customs checks, certificates and paperwork slow supply chains.
- Food and farming: tariffs, food standards, seasonal workers, freedom of movement, the EU Settlement Scheme, Dover/Calais bottlenecks, and why food prices can rise.
- The NHS and health: the £350 million-a-week bus claim, funding realities, staff shortages, recruitment from the EU and beyond, social care pressures, and why medicine supplies (from insulin to radioisotopes) are vulnerable to disruption.
- Jobs, money and the economy: the pound, productivity, investment uncertainty, manufacturing, automotive, finance, small business, wages and living standards — plus why "just in time" logistics hate uncertainty.
- Trade deals and consumer protection: why UK-EU and UK-US negotiations collide over chlorinated chicken, hormone-fed beef, GM crops, pesticides, antibiotics, and drug pricing — and what that could mean for public health, animal welfare and household budgets.
- Schools, universities and skills: education, research links, qualifications, opportunity and what a changing economy means for the next generation.
- Travel and rights: passports, driving rules, insurance, EHIC-style health cover, pet passports, and the small rule changes that can turn a simple trip into a headache.
- The union and identity: Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Irish border, and the stresses Brexit places on Parliament, democracy and the UK itself.
Also included: a helpful glossary and detailed endnotes so you can check sources, follow the evidence, and separate facts from myths.
Perfect for:
• readers of UK politics, European politics, economics and current affairs
• students, journalists, campaigners and debaters who need Brexit facts, not vibes
• parents, travellers, business owners and NHS staff who want to understand real impacts
• anyone who voted Leave or Remain and now wants the honest picture
If you want a Brexit book that cuts through misinformation and explains food, jobs, schools and the NHS without the bullshit, start here.
