OVER the last few months, we have become used to the double speak from the Conservatives on Brexit, but this week it has been worse than ever.
As the second round of talks began in Brussels, David Davis, the Brexit Secretary, was expressing confidence that good progress would be made on issues such as finance and citizens’ rights; meanwhile, in the real world, Cabinet ministers were briefing against each other over the Brexit strategy. Theresa May used to say Brexit means Brexit but in reality the issue of Europe means what it has always meant for the Tories: chaos and division.
The Tories’ strategy in the face of all the chaos appears to be to carry on as normal. But the UK Government’s weakness, combined with the Scottish Government’s position on the issue, means that a hard Brexit is dead. Increasingly, there is an acceptance that the extreme exit favoured by the most ideological Brexiters cannot and will not happen and the debate is focusing on the realistic alternatives.
The latest to join the debate are the signatories to a letter to The Herald. Those who have signed it come from a broad range of sectors and include Sir Harry Burns, the former Chief Medical Officer for Scotland, the historian Sir Tom Devine, Scotland’s former Chief Scientific Advisor Professor Anne Glover and the former First Minister Henry McLeish. It is an impressive list and their message is pretty uncompromising: it is time to call a halt to Brexit.
The letter says the rethink on Brexit is necessary because of the effects it is already having. “The disastrous consequences are now becoming ever clearer every day,” it says. “Even before the UK has left the EU, we face falling living standards, rising inflation, slowing growth and lower productivity.” The letter also says Britain’s international reputation has been seriously damaged.
It is hard to disagree with their assessment. Even before the referendum, it was clear the pound would fall in the event of a vote to leave and so it has, which in turn has pushed up the price of imports and fuelled inflation. The Brexit vote has also proved to be a major drag on growth, with weak pay growth squeezing household finances and making consumers more cautious. It is also clear that a large amount of business investment is being postponed until Brexit becomes clearer. The question is: if this is the effect of the Brexit vote, what could a hard Brexit do to the country?
The eminent authors of the letter say the only option now is to call a halt to Brexit, but it remains the responsibility of politicians, having held the referendum, to respect the outcome. However, what the PM must also do is respect the fact she was denied a mandate for a hard Brexit and seek a softer alternative that could include membership of the single market and some acceptance of the free movement of people.
Anything else would be to deny the economic and political effects which the authors of the letter have pointed out and which anyone living and working in Britain can see for themselves.
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