LONDON, May 31 Reuters The optics of sterling hitting its highest since 201639;s Brexit referendum after a surprise UK election announcement is hard to ignore and may suggest hope at margin for a healing of Brexitrelated economic damage.

What Washington39;s Peterson Institute for International Economics described this week as a selfinflicted wound, Britain39;s messy exit from the European Union has dogged inward investment, the pound and British markets for almost a decade.

That Brexit hurt the economy now seems uncontroversial to most observers. Only last month, the Bank of England39;s BoE next deputy governor for monetary policy Clare Lombardelli said the evidence suggests that Brexit has had a negative economic impact through investment and trade.

While parallel shocks from the pandemic and Ukrainerelated energy and inflation spikes make the precise size of the negative hit hard to measure, Lombardelli, opens new tab said analysis showed Brexit had led to a large and longlasting increase in uncertainty and reduced investment, output and productivity.

Experts aside, the public seems to have figured that out already.

Opinion polls now consistently show those who think it was wrong to leave the EU some 20 points ahead of those who still think it was right. Some show big majorities even in favour of rejoining.

Whether a likely change of government shifts the dial significantly on the issue is still far from clear, but relations between Britain and the European Union…