**Neither the Conservatives nor Labour are ready to renegotiate the EU exit agreement, despite its proven negative effects on the economy. Le Monde correspondent Cécile Ducourtieux reports:**
Brexit is once again at the heart of the British debate. Experts and the media are openly criticizing its negative effects on the UK economy. On the BBC’s flagship politics show Question Time and on the popular LBC talk radio station, the audience is increasingly critical of the UK’s divorce from the European Union. According to a poll by the YouGov institute published on November 17, 56% of respondents believe that the country “was wrong to leave the EU” on December 31, 2020.
Yet uttering the “B word” remains taboo among even moderate Conservatives. The leadership of the Labour Party also remains in denial, even though criticizing the Tories for promoting a “hard” Brexit that looks like a historic mistake could win it points. Keir Starmer, its leader, is content to advocate a vague improvement in the terms of the post-Brexit trade agreement concluded in 2020 between former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the EU.
The presentation of an austerity budget by new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government on November 17 in an attempt to restore the country’s financial credibility (after the disastrous episode of the Liz Truss “mini-budget”) has loosened tongues. On this occasion, the Office for Budget Responsibility estimated that British living standards would plummet by 7% over the next two years. This independent government body said that Brexit “has had a significant negative impact” on British foreign trade, with the decline amounting to 15% over the long term.
This observation had been masked by the sudden slowdown in trade due to the pandemic. The “hard” Brexit chosen by the Conservatives in 2019, accompanied by an exit from the European internal market, implies the appearance of customs barriers with the EU, the country’s first trading partner. Forecasts by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) have also accelerated the realization that by 2023, the British economy will be struggling the most of all those in the G20 – except Russia.
(This is the comment I see whenever there’s an article about France from a UK publication, so thought I’d try the reverse)
Brexit should never have happened. Or rather, an additional question should have been asked during the referendum.
The first question should have remained the same – Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?
The second question should have been something like – In the event that the UK leaves the European Union, what relationship would you like the UK to have with the European Union? – with a list of options like EEA, hard Brexit and so on.
At least then you could say that the will of the people had been better captured than the assumptions that were made from asking only one question.
Oh look. This article again.
I said it before, I’ll say it again. Brexit did not resolve the domestic issues the UK blamed on the EU. Getting back in the EU isn’t going to resolve the domestic issues the UK blames on Brexit.
Didn’t one of the reasons of brexit were not having so many inmigrants? So iy make sense the response after what UK id now.
Also geting more people than your country can take and from incompatible cultures can only do damage to a country. So.
7 comments
**Neither the Conservatives nor Labour are ready to renegotiate the EU exit agreement, despite its proven negative effects on the economy. Le Monde correspondent Cécile Ducourtieux reports:**
Brexit is once again at the heart of the British debate. Experts and the media are openly criticizing its negative effects on the UK economy. On the BBC’s flagship politics show Question Time and on the popular LBC talk radio station, the audience is increasingly critical of the UK’s divorce from the European Union. According to a poll by the YouGov institute published on November 17, 56% of respondents believe that the country “was wrong to leave the EU” on December 31, 2020.
Yet uttering the “B word” remains taboo among even moderate Conservatives. The leadership of the Labour Party also remains in denial, even though criticizing the Tories for promoting a “hard” Brexit that looks like a historic mistake could win it points. Keir Starmer, its leader, is content to advocate a vague improvement in the terms of the post-Brexit trade agreement concluded in 2020 between former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the EU.
The presentation of an austerity budget by new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government on November 17 in an attempt to restore the country’s financial credibility (after the disastrous episode of the Liz Truss “mini-budget”) has loosened tongues. On this occasion, the Office for Budget Responsibility estimated that British living standards would plummet by 7% over the next two years. This independent government body said that Brexit “has had a significant negative impact” on British foreign trade, with the decline amounting to 15% over the long term.
This observation had been masked by the sudden slowdown in trade due to the pandemic. The “hard” Brexit chosen by the Conservatives in 2019, accompanied by an exit from the European internal market, implies the appearance of customs barriers with the EU, the country’s first trading partner. Forecasts by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) have also accelerated the realization that by 2023, the British economy will be struggling the most of all those in the G20 – except Russia.
**Read the article here:** [**https://www.lemonde.fr/en/united-kingdom/article/2022/11/29/amid-an-economic-and-social-crisis-anti-brexit-sentiment-is-growing-in-the-uk_6005979_135.html**](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/united-kingdom/article/2022/11/29/amid-an-economic-and-social-crisis-anti-brexit-sentiment-is-growing-in-the-uk_6005979_135.html)
Typical anti-British post by French media.
(This is the comment I see whenever there’s an article about France from a UK publication, so thought I’d try the reverse)
Brexit should never have happened. Or rather, an additional question should have been asked during the referendum.
The first question should have remained the same – Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?
The second question should have been something like – In the event that the UK leaves the European Union, what relationship would you like the UK to have with the European Union? – with a list of options like EEA, hard Brexit and so on.
At least then you could say that the will of the people had been better captured than the assumptions that were made from asking only one question.
Oh look. This article again.
I said it before, I’ll say it again. Brexit did not resolve the domestic issues the UK blamed on the EU. Getting back in the EU isn’t going to resolve the domestic issues the UK blames on Brexit.
Didn’t one of the reasons of brexit were not having so many inmigrants? So iy make sense the response after what UK id now.
Also geting more people than your country can take and from incompatible cultures can only do damage to a country. So.
Lets hope it grows enough to make us join the EEA