My impression is that most people are so irritated with the whole Brexit quagmire that few are continuing to follow the detail. This short note is intended to help bring clarity.
The easy way for the UK to leave the EU and create no problems on the Irish border is for the UK to remain in the customs union and single market. This means we would continue to comply with EU environmental and labour regulations. The hard Brexit idea – that was running under May as well as Johnson – is that we must break free of all EU regulation. EU countries fear this means we will try to compete with lower standards and taxes. The Brexit dream is this – lower taxes, weaker environmental and food standards and weaker welfare provision.
There are two problems with this. Most British people will be hurt by it and it will be very difficult to negotiate the trade deal with the EU after Brexit which is the market for half our economy.
It looks as though the EU will say more time needed to negotiate, Johnson then says he will leave with no deal on 31st October. But the Benn Act says he can’t. This would lead back to the courts.
