Dara O'Briain sparks fury as Mock the Week star claims Britons know Brexit 'wasn't a brilliant idea': 'Get your facts right!'

On June 23, 2016, the UK voted to leave the European Union following a referendum that ended in a vote split of 52 percent to leave compared to 48 percent to remain.

Now, a decade on, prime minister Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to rebuild and forge stronger ties with the EU.

"It's been a 10-year journey for them to even admit that this may not have been a brilliant idea, while we're all patiently waiting," Mr Ó Briain said, according to the Irish Independent.

Mr Ó Briain compared Britain's supposed acceptance of Brexit's failings to watching a friend come to terms with an abusive partner.

"It's like your mate who had a bad relationship, and then they couldn't see it for a while, and then there's a bit, where you say, 'Do you get it now that he wasn't the one for you, that you made the wrong choice there?'" he claimed.

The comedian suggested that Ireland and other observers should now offer support as the UK comes to terms with its decision.

"We have to hold their hands and try to get them through it. They're on their own journey, God love them," he sarcastically added.

The comedian, who has called London home for two and a half decades, also noted that his Irish passport has "become even more of a precious thing across Europe."

He described how he still "scoots through" EU passport control while his children, who hold British passports, are left queuing behind him.

Mr Ó Briain went on to comment that the Irish community in Britain remains "the least exotic of all the immigrant communities here," which largely shields them from hostility but also leaves them scattered.

The stand-up comedian has long been outspoken about Brexit, previously stating that it was "a terrible idea, that has never delivered any benefits."

During his tenure hosting Mock the Week while it was on the BBC, he acknowledged the programme held a consistent view on the matter, saying he was not "obliged to pretend it's not a terrible idea" in the way politicians might be.

"I think we got that one totally right," he said of the show's stance.

Mr O'Briain's claims stood in stark contrast to the reception he received on social media once his comments emerged.

Taking to X to respond to the comic's claims, many argued Mr O'Briain was ill-informed and hadn't even "mixed in the same circles" of Brexit voters.

Baroness Kate Hoey was among the presenter's critics, writing: "You clearly have been only talking to the ‘usual suspects’. What most Brexiteers think is that we haven’t taken enough advantage of leaving and hope for a Government that will."

A second echoed: "It was an excellent idea, Dara. The main problem was that we had a House of Commons that didn't believe in it. It was like trying to feed bacon butties to a bunch of vegans."

Backlash to Mr O'Briain's claims kept coming from a third who fumed: "Get your facts right. In your head, that is what you may want to believe, but the actual facts are very different.

You clearly have been only talking to the ‘usual suspects’. What most Brexiteers think is that we haven’t taken enough advantage of Leaving and hope for a Government that will

— Kate Hoey (@CatharineHoey) May 19, 2026

"We do not regret for one minute leaving that corrupt trading bloc, which has turned into a communist ideology. It is politicians who have not rendered that vote to full fruition."

"I doubt O’Briain has ever mixed in circles where a single individual ever supported Brexit," a fourth hit out, while a fifth raged: "Yet another ‘celebrity’ who thinks their opinion matters to others."

"What a load of c**p," a sixth blasted. "I voted to stay in the EU and I'm so pleased I lost, I was wrong.

"Brexit was 100% the right decision. The corrupt EU is destroying Europe."