Whatever Happened to the Brexit Battalion Media Corps?

After Boris Johnson won the 2019 General election with a remit to ‘Get Brexit Done’, around sixty writers, pundits and journalists joined a celebratory dinner, happily declaring themselves to part of ‘The Brexit Battalion Media Corps’ to celebrate Britain’s departure from the EU.

By then, the EU referendum, a close result with only a margin of one voter in fifty needing to swing the result, was already marred by findings of unlawful election overspends and data misuse. It unleashed a period of political chaos, which has resulted in the country now preparing for its seventh Prime Minister in ten years.

No one knows who footed the bill for this expensive meal at Browns Hotel in Mayfair, but its owner — Rocco Forte — has since relocated to Italy, saying he didn’t “ like the way things have been going” in the UK.

But we do now know Brexit has cost the country a fortune.

When the result came in on the night of 23 June 2016, sterling experienced its largest single-day fall since free-floating exchange rates were introduced in the early 1970s , dropping 11% against the dollar and 8% against the Euro within days , and — unlike the stock market — it never recovered. 

The Centre for Economic Policy Research estimated that the Brexit depreciation increased UK consumer prices by 2.9%, representing an additional £870 a year for the average household. 

The longer-term damage to growth has proved larger than even the most pessimistic pre-referendum forecasts. 

A 2025 working paper by economists from Stanford University, the Bank of England, and the universities of Nottingham and Bristol — drawing on a decade of macroeconomic data and a survey of more than 3,000 UK firms — concluded that by the end of 2025 Brexit had reduced UK GDP per capita by 6–8% compared with similar advanced economies, with business investment 12–18% lower, employment 3–4% lower and productivity 3–4% lower

Applied to current Treasury figures by the House of Commons Library, that output gap translates into between £65 billion and £90 billion less in annual tax receipts in 2024–25 — equivalent, at the upper end, to roughly £250 million a day.  An 8% GDP per capita decline represents a loss of approximately £3,300 per person. 

As a result, Brexit is increasingly unpopular on the 10th anniversary of the EU referendum. As of June 2026, 57% of people in Great Britain think it was wrong to leave the European Union, against 30% who think it was the right decision. 

New polling by the European Council on Foreign Relations, found that voters report negative effects from Brexit on the cost of living (66%), the economy (65%), opportunities for young people (57%) and illegal immigration (56%) — and that when asked to name the main benefits of Brexit, the most common answer was “don’t know”.

Yet these pundits, journalists and writers thought Brexit was something worth celebrating six years ago.

Following the tradition of what British Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin “power without responsibility” of the press, Byline Times takes a quick look back to see how the veterans of the Brexit Battalions have fared since since backing one of the most momentous political mistakes in British history.

---

Brexit Battalions Dinner – 20 January 2020: Where Are They Now?

Roles at dinner date drawn from public records. Current positions as of June 2026.

Name	Role at time of dinner (January 2020)	Where they are now (June 2026)
Kate Andrews	News editor, Institute of Economic Affairs; rising free-market commentator	Opinion journalist at The Washington Post since November 2025, based in Washington DC; former economics editor and US Deputy Editor of The Spectator. Co-hosts the Make It Make Sense podcast for The Washington Post.
Hugh Bennett	News editor, Guido Fawkes; deputy editor, Brexit Central; Vote Leave alumnus	Former special adviser to Jacob Rees-Mogg and Boris Johnson; now working in public affairs.
Roger Bootle	Chairman of Capital Economics; pro-Brexit economic analyst	Remains chairman of Capital Economics; continues as a prominent pro-Brexit economic commentator and author.
Dia Chakravarty	Former Brexit editor, The Daily Telegraph; political director, TaxPayers’ Alliance	Continues as a commentator and political director of the Freedom Association.
Ross Clark	Columnist, Mail on Sunday	Continues as a columnist at the Mail on Sunday and author; regular contributor on climate and economic policy.
Janet Daley	Conservative columnist, The Sunday Telegraph	Continues as a long-serving political columnist at The Sunday Telegraph.
Tiffany Daneff	Journalist and editor, countryside and culture	Continues as a journalist and editor specialising in countryside and cultural commentary.
Alex Deane	Head of public affairs, FTI Consulting; former chief of staff to David Cameron	Continues at FTI Consulting; remains a barrister and broadcaster.
James Delingpole	Polemicist; columnist and blogger	Continues as a podcaster and polemicist; contributor to various right-leaning outlets.
Michelle Dewberry	Apprentice winner; commentator and activist	Now primarily a broadcaster presenting Dewbs and Co on GB News. Stood as Reform UK candidate in Hull West and Hessle at the 2024 general election but did not win a seat.
Suzanne Evans	Former UKIP and Brexit Party politician	Continues as a commentator; no current elected political role.
Sir Rocco Forte	Hotel magnate; founder of Rocco Forte Hotels	Continues as chairman of Rocco Forte Hotels; pro-business and pro-Brexit commentator. Has relocated to Italy.
Charlotte Gill	Right-leaning columnist, The Daily Express	Continues as a columnist and commentator on free speech and cultural politics.
Mike Graham	Talkradio presenter	Dismissed from Talk in November 2025 after a racist post appeared on his Facebook account; he claimed he had been hacked but News UK said he had repeatedly failed to cooperate with their internal investigation. Now running an independent YouTube show.
Madeline Grant	Leader writer, The Daily Telegraph	Continues as a columnist and leader writer at The Daily Telegraph.
Liam Halligan	Sunday Telegraph columnist; economics broadcaster	Continues as economics editor at GB News and Sunday Telegraph columnist.
Lucy Harris	Founder, Leavers of Britain; former Brexit Party Member of the European Parliament for Yorkshire	Continues as a commentator; no current elected political role.
Julia Hartley-Brewer	Talkradio breakfast presenter	Now presents a daily show on Talk (formerly TalkTV, which ceased linear broadcasting in 2024 and moved online-only); columnist at The Sun; regular panellist on BBC Question Time.
Tom Harwood	Activist with Leave.EU and Turning Point UK; contributor to Guido Fawkes	Now a presenter at GB News; one of the channel’s prominent younger voices on political affairs.
Allister Heath	Editor, The Sunday Telegraph (since 2017)	Continues as editor of The Sunday Telegraph; one of the most prominent right-of-centre editors in British print journalism.
Dan Hodges	Columnist, Mail on Sunday	Continues as a columnist at the Mail on Sunday.
Baroness Hoey	Former Labour Member of Parliament for Vauxhall (retired 2019); elevated to the House of Lords as Baroness Hoey of Lylehill and Rathlin in 2020	Continues as a crossbench peer; remains a prominent pro-Brexit and pro-Union voice in the House of Lords.
Christopher Hope	Westminster editor, The Daily Telegraph	Continues as a senior political journalist at The Daily Telegraph.
Jonathan Isaby	Political journalist; former chief executive, TaxPayers’ Alliance	Continues as a political commentator and contributor to GB News.
Sherelle Jacobs	Columnist, The Daily Telegraph	Continues as a Daily Telegraph columnist on culture, politics and foreign affairs.
Dr Sheila Lawlor	Director, Politeia	Continues as director of the Politeia think tank; constitutional and policy commentator.
Dominic Lawson	Columnist, The Sunday Times; former editor of The Spectator and The Sunday Telegraph	Continues as a Sunday Times columnist.
James Lewisohn	Former investment banker; Spectator contributor on Brexit and Denmark	Continues as a commentator; contributor to The Spectator on European affairs.
Rod Liddle	Columnist and associate editor, The Spectator	Continues as a columnist at The Spectator and The Sunday Times.
Alicia Liddle	Partner of Rod Liddle	No independent public media career.
Carole Malone	Tabloid columnist	Continues as a columnist at The Daily Express and regular panellist on GB News and Jeremy Vine on Channel 5.
Iain Martin	Columnist and commentator; former editor of Scotland on Sunday and The Wall Street Journal Europe	Continues as a political columnist at The Times.
Charles Moore	Former editor of The Daily Telegraph, The Sunday Telegraph and The Spectator	Continues as a columnist and commentator; completed the authorised three-volume biography of Margaret Thatcher.
Tim Montgomerie	Founder, ConservativeHome	Continues as a commentator and strategist; increasingly associated with social conservatism and Reform UK
Dame Helena Morrissey	Former chief executive, Newton Investment Management	Continues as a public speaker, commentator and governance campaigner.
Jen Moynihan / Patricia Moynihan	Family of Lord Jon Moynihan	Continue to attend events associated with Lord Jon Moynihan, Vote Leave chairman and Brexit donor.
Douglas Murray	Associate editor, The Spectator; author	Continues as associate editor of The Spectator and prolific author; published On Democracies and Death Cults in April 2025, drawing on reporting in Israel, Gaza and Lebanon following the October 2023 Hamas attacks. Columnist on Bari Weisz’s e Free Press
Isabel Oakeshott	Political journalist; former political editor, The Sunday Times	International Editor at Talk (formerly TalkTV); contributor to The Daily Telegraph, The Spectator and the Mail on Sunday; co-author of the Lockdown Files exposé (2023); relocated to Dubai in early 2025; partner of Reform UK Deputy Leader Richard Tice.
Patrick O’Flynn	Former UKIP Member of the European Parliament	Continues as a political commentator.
Tony Parsons	Columnist, The Sun	Continues as a columnist at The Sun.
Allison Pearson	Columnist, The Daily Telegraph	Continues as a Daily Telegraph columnist; was investigated by Essex Police in 2023 over a tweet about the 2021 Batley Grammar School protests, though no further action was taken.
Andrew Pierce	Associate editor, Daily Mail	Continues as associate editor of the Daily Mail and presenter on GB News.
Amanda Platell	Columnist, Daily Mail	Continues as a Daily Mail columnist.
Olga Polizzi	Director, Rocco Forte Hotels	Continues in her role at Rocco Forte Hotels; stepdaughter of Sir William Shawcross.
Annunziata Rees-Mogg	Member of the European Parliament for the Brexit Party; journalist	No longer a Member of the European Parliament following the UK’s departure from the EU; continues as a commentator and journalist.
Viscount Ridley	Hereditary peer, House of Lords; science writer	Retired from the House of Lords in December 2021; continues as a prolific science author and Times columnist; published Birds, Sex and Beauty in 2025.
Sir Tim Rice	Lyricist; cultural figure	Continues as a lyricist and cultural commentator.
Juliet Samuel	Foreign affairs columnist, The Daily Telegraph	Continues as a Daily Telegraph foreign affairs columnist.
Sir William Shawcross	Author; former chairman, Charity Commission; Special Representative on UK victims of Gaddafi-sponsored IRA terrorism	Knighted in the 2023 Birthday Honours; served as Commissioner for Public Appointments from September 2021, approaching the end of his five-year term; completed the Independent Review of Prevent, published in February 2023.
Harriet Sergeant	Author and researcher	Continues as an author and researcher; focuses on education, policing and social policy.
Father Alexander Sherbrooke	Catholic priest and conservative commentator	Continues as parish priest at St Patrick’s, Soho, London, and as a commentator on faith and culture.
Lionel Shriver	Novelist and essayist	Continues as a novelist, columnist at The Spectator and contributor to The Times and other publications; author of numerous works including We Need to Talk About Kevin.
Merryn Somerset Webb	Editor, MoneyWeek	Former editor of MoneyWeek; now a Financial Times columnist and broadcaster.
Tim Stanley	Historian and columnist, The Daily Telegraph	Continues as a Daily Telegraph columnist and historian.
Paul Staines	Political blogger, Guido Fawkes	Continues to operate the Guido Fawkes political blog, but less involved day to day.
Richard Tice	Co-chairman, Leave.EU; chairman, Brexit Party	Member of Parliament for Boston and Skegness (elected July 2024); Deputy Leader of Reform UK and Shadow Business, Trade and Energy Secretary; appointed to Nigel Farage’s frontbench in February 2026. Subject of Sunday Times reports in March and April 2026 on tax arrangements through his property companies.
Professor Robert Tombs	Emeritus Professor of History, Cambridge University; pro-Brexit academic	Continues as an author and commentator; co-editor of Briefings for Britain; regular contributor to The Spectator and other publications.
Camilla Tominey	Associate editor, The Sunday Telegraph	Now associate editor of The Daily Telegraph and presenter of The Camilla Tominey Show on GB News.
Mark Wallace	Former campaigns director, TaxPayers’ Alliance	Former editor of ConservativeHome (stepped down 2022); now a commentator and consultant.
David Wooding	Political editor, GB News	Continues as political editor of GB News.
Toby Young	Commentator and writer	Founder of The Daily Sceptic (launched 2021) and director of the Free Speech Union; continues as a prominent free-speech campaigner.
Harry Cole	Deputy political editor, Mail on Sunday; former Guido Fawkes journalist	Was political editor of The Sun from 2020 to June 2025, during which time he broke the Matt Hancock affair story (2021) and co-authored Out of the Blue, hagiographyof Liz Truss, named The Sunday Times Political Book of the Year 2022; since June 2025 he has been editor-at-large of the US edition of The Sun, fronting an evening politics show on YouTube and contributing to Fox News.