A major think tank said Britain's 5.2% drop in gross domestic product was due - mostly - to Britain's exit from the European Union.

In a report on the website of The Independent, author Adam Forrest attributed to a new study by leading economists that Brexit is largely responsible for the loss of billions in trade and tax revenue in recent years.

The Center for European Reform (CEF) stated that by the end of last year, the British economy had shrunk by 5.2%, or 31 billion pounds (about 38 billion dollars), compared to what it would have been without Britain's exit from the European Union and affected by the Covid-19 epidemic.

"We cannot blame all the 5.2 percent shortfall in GDP on Brexit, but it is clear that Brexit is largely to blame," said John Springford, the study's author.

In his measurement of the UK's performance, Springford relied on the "similar" model of Britain - if this country remained within the European Union's single market - using data from other advanced economies similar to the United Kingdom.

Springford said that "untangling" the economic impacts of Brexit and COVID-19 in recent years has been "difficult", but said it was clear that the biggest negative impact came from Brexit.

The economist argues that there is a huge gap between the current UK and the economy of a similar country that opened up before the outbreak of the pandemic in the spring of 2020.

He noted that the slow economic performance after the end of the shutdowns in 2021 also showed that the large shortage was mostly due to Britain's exit from the European Union and not Covid-19.

"The UK ended Covid-19 restrictions earlier than many similar countries, thanks in part to the start of the vaccination campaign in early 2021," he said, which he said would have made this country's recovery from Covid-19. Faster than other countries, not slower.

Repercussions of Brexit

It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that Brexit has severely curtailed GDP, investment and trade in goods, the study said.

"British politicians may find it difficult to ignore the central role of Brexit in the UK's economic woes for too long," the report added.

It comes as British companies point to red tape after Brexit which continues to create costly problems in trade with the EU.

One Northumberland seafood company spoke of the paperwork that nearly ruined a £50,000 delivery because the form signed 43 times did not include a name in print.

The company told the BBC that it cost it up to 15,000 pounds to resolve after several delays, and there were no noticeable benefits to Britain's exit from the European Union, but rather that everything takes longer and costs more," according to the director. Sales in this institution are Jane Pedersen.

An influential panel of MPs recently warned that it was uncertain whether the post-Brexit free trade agreements negotiated by Boris Johnson's government would provide any real economic benefits for Britain.

The British Cabinet confirmed on Friday that controversial new Brexit legislation - designed to take unilateral action to halt checks agreed with the EU as part of the withdrawal deal - will be published in the House of Commons on Monday.

Conservative Party member Ken Clark said the vast majority of his peers would support attempts to block the bill and delay it for a long time.