Prime Minister Johnson's flagship policy meets reality in one English city

A general view of passers by at High Street West in Sunderland, Britain, November 24, 2021. Picture taken November 24, 2021. REUTERS/Lee Smith

SUNDERLAND, England (Reuters) - When Britain left the European Union on Jan. 31 last year, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his top ministers travelled to Sunderland for a special cabinet meeting and hailed "a new chapter in the United Kingdom's story."

The post-industrial city, in northeast England, holds a special significance for Johnson and his fellow Brexit campaigners. It became known as "Brexit city" when it was the first region to fall to the "Leave" side in a 2016 referendum, with support of nearly two thirds of Sunderland voters.