Britain’s Greatest Brexit Obstacle: Itself
- 7 years ago
Britain’s Greatest Brexit Obstacle: Itself
At the same time, the former president of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, told the BBC
that chances of trade negotiations going ahead in October, as Britain hopes, were "in the neighborhood of zero." Even Britain’s chief negotiator, Mr. Davis, has dialed down his trademark optimism over the talks, telling lawmakers recently that "nobody has ever pretended this would be simple or easy." Unfortunately that is not entirely true.
Brussels said that There is a lot of posturing, a lot of signaling.
The Europeans insist that before discussing future trade ties, there must be progress on issues like the rights of European citizens in post-Brexit Britain (and those of Britons in continental Europe); the future of the border between Northern Ireland
and Ireland; and Britain’s agreement to pay billions of euros to settle commitments made as member nation.
On Thursday the British government pressed ahead with what was supposed to be one of the easy parts of quitting the 28-nation bloc, introducing a parliamentary bill
that essentially cuts and pastes European Union law onto the British statute book to ensure continuity when Britain leaves.
As Keir Starmer, who speaks for Labour on Brexit, pointed out, Mr. Davis’s cabinet colleague, Liam Fox, the international trade secretary, once argued
that negotiations for a trade deal with the European Union would be "one of the easiest in human history." Follow Stephen Castle on Twitter @_StephenCastle.
What at first appeared to be dry and technocratic legislation has become a political battleground, provoking protests from opposition parties, trade unions, the governments of Scotland
and Wales and even some lawmakers from the Conservative Party of Prime Minister Theresa May.
Having lost her parliamentary majority, Mrs. May cannot afford to upset too many of the lawmakers on either side of the toxic debate over Europe,
because it would take 48 of her party’s legislators to challenge, and probably end, her leadership.
At the same time, the former president of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, told the BBC
that chances of trade negotiations going ahead in October, as Britain hopes, were "in the neighborhood of zero." Even Britain’s chief negotiator, Mr. Davis, has dialed down his trademark optimism over the talks, telling lawmakers recently that "nobody has ever pretended this would be simple or easy." Unfortunately that is not entirely true.
Brussels said that There is a lot of posturing, a lot of signaling.
The Europeans insist that before discussing future trade ties, there must be progress on issues like the rights of European citizens in post-Brexit Britain (and those of Britons in continental Europe); the future of the border between Northern Ireland
and Ireland; and Britain’s agreement to pay billions of euros to settle commitments made as member nation.
On Thursday the British government pressed ahead with what was supposed to be one of the easy parts of quitting the 28-nation bloc, introducing a parliamentary bill
that essentially cuts and pastes European Union law onto the British statute book to ensure continuity when Britain leaves.
As Keir Starmer, who speaks for Labour on Brexit, pointed out, Mr. Davis’s cabinet colleague, Liam Fox, the international trade secretary, once argued
that negotiations for a trade deal with the European Union would be "one of the easiest in human history." Follow Stephen Castle on Twitter @_StephenCastle.
What at first appeared to be dry and technocratic legislation has become a political battleground, provoking protests from opposition parties, trade unions, the governments of Scotland
and Wales and even some lawmakers from the Conservative Party of Prime Minister Theresa May.
Having lost her parliamentary majority, Mrs. May cannot afford to upset too many of the lawmakers on either side of the toxic debate over Europe,
because it would take 48 of her party’s legislators to challenge, and probably end, her leadership.