Thursday 31 October, the date we were promised by Boris Johnson the UK would leave the EU, with or without a deal.
Parliament successfully frustrated the Government’s attempts to leave a no deal Brexit as an option to strengthen our negotiating position with the EU, with the “Benn Act” forcing Boris to ask for an extension.
He did manage to negotiate a revised deal, based largely on Theresa May’s deal and Parliament actually voted for this at its second reading, but ultimately couldn’t agree a timetable to make it into law.
So, now, finally Parliament have run out of options and ideas and we have a General Election on 12 December to look forward to
Hopefully this reshuffling of the Parliamentary deck will break the deadlock and allow a majority government of whatever flavour to either:
- Approve Boris’s deal and we leave the EU
- Negotiate a new deal and put it to a second referendum – with Labour still sitting on the fence presumably
- Or a Liberal Democrat government would revoke Article 50 and we remain in the EU
My fear is the Election campaign will be diverted off into other issues and confusion will reign. This election needs to be about one issue and one issue alone – BREXIT.
However, having attended Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber’s BREXIT workshop in Coventry yesterday, a number of themes come back into focus
BREXIT is a bad idea, full stop
Agreeing Boris’s deal and leaving, just brings on the horrors of the 31 December 2020 impelementation deadline and at least 3 more NO DEAL exit cliff edges, starting on 31 January 2020
No deal, will still leave us needing trade deals and agreements. We need to be aware that a Free Trade Agreement in no way equals frictionless trade
Unfortunately, those of us wishing to remain in the EU only have the option of voting Liberal Democrat, who have only an outside chance winning a majority in the election.
Along with many remainers, I have a greater fear for our country from a radical left wing Labour government than from BREXIT or NO Deal.
None of this is ideal is it?
Martin Gibbs is Dafferns Managing Partner. He likes talking about BREXIT and any views in this post are his own
