The British expats who voted for Brexit and are still happy with their decision

Over 400,000 UK expatriates live in Spain (Image: Getty) A pair of British expats who voted for  Brexit say that are still ‘pleased’ with their decision and that they ‘will have the last laugh when Europe falls apart.’ Wigan-born Michael Stevenson, who voted for the UK to cut ties with the EU and lives near Malaga with his wife, said: ‘We were very aware of putting our country first, unlike people here who were worried about how it would affect them. We were concerned with the sovereignty of the UK. ‘I am quite pleased that we did what we did. We will have the last laugh when Europe falls apart,’ he added. The retired insurance official, who has lived with his wife in Spain since 2007, said that unlike other British expats who voted remain, he and his family chose not to vote ‘selfishly’. ‘When the vote happened [Remainers] wanted to kill us. But we are in the minority, the educated elite who voted Brexit . We had the last laugh,’ the 76-year-old told the i. As Keir Starmer proposes a closer working relationship with the EU if he makes it to Downing Street at the next general election, Brexit supporters in Spain remain firm in their anti-EU position. Retired pub owner Philip Smalley, 76, moved to Spain from Preston in 2007. He voted in favour of Brexit and is unlikely to change his mind anytime soon. He said: ‘Closer trade ties with Europe is fine but anything that smacks of the EU interfering in British matters and dictating things from Brussels or Strasbourg is not on,’ he said. He continued: ‘Boris finally got Brexit done but he was smacked down by Covid and the Blob [the civil service] and the left-wing media. We still have a lot of things to do.’ More than 400,000 UK expatriates live in Spain, the largest community of Britons outside the country. Britain’s exit from the EU has meant that a new set of restrictions apply to people wanting to move to Spain, meaning travellers can only stay for up to 90 days within every 180. Anne Fernandez, president of Brexpats in Spain, an organisation representing 45,000 UK immigrants who are affected by Brexit , welcomed closer ties with Europe. ‘Boris had a timetable to get Brexit done but he did not do it properly. Every week there are Brexit wood worms crawling out of the woodwork and causing problems,’ she told the paper. ‘We welcome closer ties with Europe but Starmer has said he is never going to reverse Brexit .’