Follow Us

Follow us on Twitter  Follow us on LinkedIn
 

22 November 2022

POLITICO: Sunak’s Britain Is Starting to Have Second Thoughts About Brexit


UK leader denies he’d seek ‘Swiss-style’ ties with EU; Public opinion, experts now speaking out against Brexit

Even after years of division and vitriol, it seems like Britain still needs to talk about Brexit.

More than six years after voting to leave the European Union, the UK is facing a prolonged recession, a deep cost-of-living crisis and a shortage of workers. Last week’s Autumn Statement heralded years of higher taxes and cuts to public spending. 

The gloomy prognosis has re-opened the debate over Brexit, previously the deadly third rail of Conservative Party politics, which many thought ended for good with the signing of a free trade deal at Christmas 2020.

Days after being forced to accept sweeping changes in fiscal policy, Brexiters were last weekend confronted with a Sunday Times story that said senior figures in Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government are seeking a closer “Swiss-style relationship” with the European Union.


The language angered hardliners who oppose anything that trades away Britain’s newly won regulatory freedoms. Yet the very fact that the possibility was broached in public -- and attributed to a senior government source -- is a departure from the bombastic “have cake and eat it” era of Boris Johnson or the short-lived low-tax vision of his successor, Liz Truss.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt has privately said that the UK should seek a closer trading arrangement with the EU, in line with the Sunday Times report, multiple senior government figures familiar with his thinking said. In the first sign of dissatisfaction with Hunt from within Sunak’s camp, one senior official criticized the chancellor for speaking too loosely.

A spokesman for Hunt declined to comment. Hunt’s views have been over-interpreted by the media, people familiar with his thinking said.

Changing Times

Yet Hunt’s tone mirrors a shift in public attitudes, with a new poll of polls overseen by UK elections guru Professor John Curtice showing that Britons reject Brexit by 57% to 43%. Last week, YouGov Plc reported that a record high 56% of respondents now believe Brexit was wrong. Some 19% of those voted for Brexit but now regret their choice, YouGov said....

 more at  POLITICO



© POLITICO


< Next Previous >
Key
 Hover over the blue highlighted text to view the acronym meaning
Hover over these icons for more information



Add new comment