people who voted for Brexit who are still optimistic about it, what benefits are you looking forward to?

For me, the immigration issue was always key, and that's slowly starting to shift. The original promise was control, and we've got the points-based system now. It's not about stopping all immigration, it's about saying we decide who comes in based on the skills the country needs, not just blanket free movement from one area.

The NHS and social care desperately need staff, and the new system lets us target those shortages globally, instead of being restricted to the EU first. The net migration numbers have gone up for sure, but they're controlled numbers under a system we set up, which is a massive difference from the previous arrangement where we had no real say over EU citizens coming in. It gives us sovereignty over our borders, which was the core constitutional promise of the whole thing.

The biggest long-term benefit for me is the ability to make our own VAT and tax decisions. Being in the EU meant we had to charge VAT on things like women's sanitary products and that silly "Tampon Tax" was a direct result of EU rules, and we couldn't get rid of it.

Now we can, and have, scrapped it and other taxes on certain products. It's small things like that that add up and show we have the freedom to decide what's best for UK consumers and businesses without needing permission from a European committee. That flexibility will be invaluable for future Chancellors.

"I've seen "Brexit" thrown around lately and I don't know what that is, is that something to do with USA/UK? "

I think a lot of the optimism is tied up in finally getting full control over our own money and spending. The savings from the contributions to the EU budget were always a big selling point the famous £350 million a week number.

Even if the exact amount is debatable and the short-term costs are higher, the principle is that our government decides where that money goes, not Brussels. We can direct those funds to leveling-up projects, better funding for the NHS, or investment in specific UK regions that need it the most, rather than it being filtered through the EU's bureaucracy and criteria. It’s about national priority setting, and that's a huge benefit that will pay off locally over the next decade.

I'm an optimist because of fishing. We are finally getting back full control over our waters, which was completely given away when we joined. It’s a huge symbolic victory, but also a chance to revitalise coastal communities that have been struggling for decades because of the EU's Common Fisheries Policy.

It hasn't been plain sailing, sure, the immediate export rules were a disaster for a bit, but the long-term ability to set our own quotas and manage our own marine environment is massive. It’s not just about fish; it’s about restoring a historic national industry and the principle of controlling our own natural resources.

For me it's all about sovereignty, not just economics, though the economics will follow. It's the simple fact that our Supreme Court is the final arbiter of law, not the European Court of Justice. That one change means the UK Parliament is supreme again, and that is what I voted for. No one else has the right to make our laws.

The economic issues are just teething problems from switching massive trading systems. Once businesses fully adapt to the new rules and the government actually starts using its regulatory freedom properly like cutting unnecessary EU red tape the economic benefits will come naturally. It’s the political freedom that was the main goal.

The main thing I'm still banking on is the new trade deals outside of Europe. People keep focusing on the trade friction with the EU, which is real, but that's only half the story. The EU is a shrinking share of the global economy over the next few decades, and places like the US, India, and the Pacific nations are where the big growth is.

We've already got deals with Australia and New Zealand, and joining the CPTPP (a huge trade bloc in the Asia-Pacific) is a major win that the EU couldn't have got us. Those markets might seem far away right now, but for sectors like high-end manufacturing, tech, and services, that's where the future exports are going to come from. It takes time for those deals to translate into cash in the bank, but that's the long-term prize.