I don't have a problem with federalism. It is a compromise. By uniting with others, one loses some things but gains in others.
The British Public were lied to about Brexit. Every nation is always lied to by certain politicians. The trick is to know which ones are lying to you. That is why one reads newspapers and sources from every country. During the apartheid years, the best news about South Africa came from people outside South Africa.
I found this article which says that there are lorry driver shortages because people don't want to driive lorries anymore, and that has been going on for quite a while. However, there are more lorry driver shortages in the UK than anywhere else. France and Germany had a slight shortage while Eastern Europe had an increase. This is an American news source.
https://news.sky.com/story/why-is-europe-short-of-lorry-drivers-and-how-bad-is-the-crisis-12423174
I don't use British news sources for looking at things like this because there is a vested interested in the UK to make things look good.
Here's a source saying that the British economy is headed for decline.
https://www.businessinsider.com/brexit-uk-economy-heading-for-an-italy-style-decline-2021-5
That said, I guess we'll both have to see.
