Deputy director of UK in A Changing Europe and politics professor, Simon Usherwood, explained European countries would be able to reap the benefits of leaving the EU. He added a Eurosceptic country would be able to leave without the added costs. His comments come as Prime Minister Boris Johnson awaits to hear the verdict on whether the EU will accept his Brexit deal proposals.

Speaking to Express.co.uk, Mr Usherwood said: “After the referendum you’ve seen a lot of eurosceptics in other countries dial that right down.

“They’re talking more about working with the system instead of trying to reject it completely.

“In the long run clearly the episode really highlights that leaving the EU is a possibility and it’s not just a theoretical idea.

“You would expect in the long run eurosceptics will start talking about taking their country out and doing it in a way that is smoother than the UK’s.

“The UK seems to have made life very difficult for itself.

“If you’re a eurosceptic in another European country you would be able to say, ‘well, we know where all the bear traps are because the British have stepped in all of them and we can avoid that and get all the benefits of leaving without the costs’.

“In the short run the effect of Euroscepticism across Europe has been to dampen it down but in the long run it will change the parameters of the political debate.”

Mr Usherwood has previously warned Britain would fall into “widespread unhappiness” if the country doesn’t leave the EU after 17.4 million people voted for Brexit in 2016.

He explained there would be a return of pressure groups if Britain remained in the EU as not everyone will be happy with the outcome.

Mr Usherwood told Express.co.uk: “In the UK I think you would see a return to that widespread unhappiness about the way the EU works.

“I think even if you have a referendum and the vote it to Remain, it’s almost inconceivable that everyone will be happy and say, ‘that’s fine. We’re all going to be happy about being a member of the EU and we have no problems anymore.’

“If the UK doesn’t leave then I think you will a lot of the things you saw before the referendum.

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“You had lots of pressure groups pushing for different kinds of things such as changes to policy or more likely, just about leaving.

“People will feel that they’ve been denied the result of the 2016 referendum and I think that will be a real challenge both for the UK and the EU.

“The UK staying in might be desirable in geo-political terms and strategic terms but in practical terms, the UK would continue to be a partner that has a difficult relationship with the EU.

“You would expect there would be lots of returns when every time there is a specific issue whether that’s on money or on budgets or on enlargement or a particular policy decision.”

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