It’s been six months since a majority of British voters decided that their nation should no longer remain a member of the European Union (EU). And over those months, the government in Westminster has been trying to formulate a plan that would meet that unexpected mandate and extract the United Kingdom from the 28-member bloc. Now, finally, Britons and the rest of Europe have a clearer idea of how British Prime Minister Theresa May and her government plan to do just that. The question now is whether the other 27 nations aligned with Brussels will allow May to leave as she plans.
In a major speech in London on Tuesday, May said that Britain plans to give formal notice in March under Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty that it plans to leave, setting the clock ticking on a maximum two-year negation period. And she has made it clear that Brexit means Britain wants to get out of the EU, the European Economic Area and will have a deal unlike any other arrangement that aligned European nations enjoy with Brussels. In other words, it’s the so-called ‘hard’ Brexit option.
And once the deal is reached, May says that both the House of Lords and the House of Commons will have a final vote.
May is also of the opinion that the UK will be able to negotiate its own customs and tariffs agreements with the EU and that London can remain on amicable footings with the other 27 as it seeks a greater global role. The PM said Brexit will allow Britain to control those who immigrate, and will be able to impose selective immigration policies.
Significantly, she said Brexit will not affect the common travel area between Britain and the Republic of Ireland, and she said there would be no return to a formal frontier border between the Republic and Northern Ireland.
For the first time since June 23, 2016, everyone has a clear idea of how the London government views Brexit and how it plans to implement it. But that’s just May’s vision. A majority of Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish voters disagree with her.
Beyond Britain’s borders, the other 27 members will look at her plans as wishful thinking. What May has done is make it quite clear that the divorce will be final. And when it comes to divorces, the division of assets and deciding who gets what becomes a messy and bitter affair.
