Brexiteer says he’d never have voted for Brexit ‘if we knew we’d lose our jobs’

Peter Wood, an exporter of glass eels in Gloucester to the EU, appeared on Sky News to talk about Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal.

He told a reporter: “We all produce the documentation but unfortunately our customers have also got a raft of documentation to produce to allow the import to go ahead.

“So why buy from the UK? Might as well buy from another producer in France who can deliver to the door no documentation, no problems”.

Asked how he feels about voting for Brexit, he expresses exasperation.

“I think be careful what you wish for – I thought we were going to get a global market, this is going to be a new opportunity.

“It hasn’t turned out like that.

“I’d never have voted for Brexit if I knew we were going to lose our jobs”.

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UK Glass Eels turns over around £2 million a year by transporting baby eels three times a week across the EU and employs ten staff. He fears that the company will be considered “uncompetitive” after Brexit.

The clip has gone viral on social media with people sympathetic to Woods’ comments.

Alasdair Pinkerton wrote: “‘Be careful what you wish for’. —Tragically, this will be a common refrain over coming years.”

Mark Jones said: “The key to winning the Brexit vote was offering a number of incompatible scenarios to voters, which created an unholy coalition that could never be satisfied. In fact, only a small proportion of the British population could be satisfied with any Brexit deal.”

Jon Owen commented: “I’m conflicted: Yes, this guy probably was stupid to fall for the dishonest claims of the Leave campaign, built on decades of xenophobic, anti-EU nonsense from the right wing press. But his vote wasn’t just an act of self-harm: we all face the consequences. We’re all his staff.”

Others, however, pointed out it contradicts the claim Brexiteers “knew what they were voting for”.