The cost of going it alone

People demonstrating against Brexit in London on July 2, 2016. Ten years after the vote, Britain is still counting the cost of leaving the European Union. — Andrew Testa/The New York Times

JUST before Britain’s fateful referendum on membership of the European Union 10 years ago, the government issued a stark warning: a vote to leave the bloc would lead to “an immediate and profound shock” to the economy.

By a slim margin, the public voted to leave anyway.