In the turbulent aftermath of the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union, one of the most uncompromising critiques of Brexit has come from an unlikely but formidable voice: Brian May. Best known globally as the lead guitarist of Queen, May is also a doctor of astrophysics—an identity that has deeply shaped his political worldview. From this rare intersection of art and science, he has described Brexit as nothing less than a “monumental self-inflicted disaster.”
A Scientific Mind Confronts Political Vanity
Speaking candidly in interviews following the referendum, May argued that Britain was “sold a lie by charlatans,” blaming opportunistic politicians who, in his view, weaponized misinformation to advance personal ambition. Figures such as David Cameron and Theresa May were singled out as leaders who gambled the nation’s future to manage internal party conflicts. For May, Brexit was not an act of sovereignty, but a cautionary tale of vanity overpowering evidence-based decision-making.
His criticism is inseparable from his scientific training. As an astrophysicist educated at Imperial College London, May comes from a discipline built on international cooperation, shared data, and borderless inquiry. From that perspective, he sees nationalism and isolationism as fundamentally incompatible with progress. “The future lies in cooperation,” he has insisted, rejecting the notion that Britain could flourish alone in an increasingly interconnected world.
A Generation Betrayed
Perhaps May’s sharpest condemnation focuses on the impact of Brexit on young people. He has repeatedly expressed anger that an entire generation was “thrown into a ditch,” stripped of freedoms they once took for granted. The loss of EU programs such as Erasmus+ eliminated life-changing opportunities for tens of thousands of British students each year. Similarly, the UK’s temporary exclusion from Horizon Europe created a massive funding gap for scientists—an outcome May views as especially destructive to Britain’s intellectual future.
Economically, he has framed Brexit as a self-imposed wound. Declines in trade, investment uncertainty, and reduced labor mobility are, to May, predictable consequences of isolation. In blunt terms, he has called Brexit “the dumbest thing Britain has ever done in my lifetime,” not as provocation, but as a moral verdict grounded in data and lived experience.
Activism Beyond Music
May’s political engagement aligns with his broader activism. Through the Save Me Trust, he has long defended the vulnerable—an ethic he extends to society at large. He believes economic fallout will hit the poor, the sick, and the weak hardest, turning Brexit from a policy choice into a moral failure.
Ultimately, Brian May’s critique is a call to remember that science knows no borders, just as music knows no color. In choosing cooperation over isolation, he argues, nations preserve not only prosperity, but their humanity.