If you listen to Boris Johnson (57), all Brexit expectations have been met. Trade agreements with 70 countries worth 900 billion euros, absurd EU bureaucracy abolished and a rapid corona vaccination campaign launched and an immigration system devised for the brightest minds.
The British Prime Minister praised himself on New Year’s Eve that these are the main achievements of leaving the EU. But the majority of voters do not believe him: 57 percent consider Boris Johnson to be a Brexit liar, according to a survey by the newspaper “The Independent”. A poll by the “Mail on Sunday” sees the Labor Party currently five points ahead of Johnson’s conservative Tories.
Experts are also shaking their heads at the British prime minister’s bragging rights for Brexit. “His avoidance of the many difficulties, sticking points and costs suggests that Great Britain is still far from a balanced and well-considered debate about the structure of the relationship with the EU,” said the political scientist Simon Usherwood from the Open University of the German press agency.
Because Brexit is still a long way from being “done”, as Johnson himself indirectly admitted. An inventory.
trade
Of the contracts that the prime minister is now highlighting, only one deal with Australia has so far been completely renegotiated, another with New Zealand is imminent. The rest ultimately reflect the EU contracts.
But there is great displeasure with the new contracts. British farmers fear being driven out of the market by cheap meat from Australia and New Zealand. The most important project – a free trade agreement with the USA – is a long way off.
bureaucracy
Indeed, some industries benefit, as recognized by an EU country diplomat in London. Autonomous driving or artificial intelligence are two areas in which there would now be more options without strict EU rules. But: “These are only niches.”
In fact, the bureaucracy has increased, and for a year now trading has become more difficult because of the necessary documentation. Since the beginning of the year, Great Britain has also been controlling some imports from the EU more strictly. The trade of smaller companies with the EU takes permanent damage, fears the frozen food association BFFF.
consumer
The trade problems have a tangible impact. The majority of fresh food comes from the EU, shelves remained empty. Since Brexit, it has been more difficult for skilled workers to come into the country because of expensive work visas. This affects many industries in which mainly EU citizens previously worked – from transport to meat processing to gastronomy. There were several supply crises. For example, gasoline was running out. And so there were long queues in front of the gas pumps. There was not only a shortage of gasoline and diesel. Beer and turkeys are also in short supply.
migration
Interior Minister Priti Patel (49) strives for quality instead of quantity. Patel wants to stop the unhindered freedom of movement and thus implement a central demand of the Brexiteers. Instead, the brightest minds should come. But so far there has been no application for a new special visa for scientific award winners.
To Patel’s displeasure, many migrants continued to cross the English Channel illegally. The newspaper “Independent” commented that this was the biggest challenge for Johnson in the new year.
Economy
The pandemic is still overshadowing many Brexit worries. A clear assessment of the extent to which the exit from the EU is responsible for empty coffers and enormous tax increases is still pending. However, the regulatory authority Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has come to the conclusion that the exit from the EU will reduce gross domestic product (GDP) by 4 percent, which is twice as much as caused by the pandemic.
Northern Ireland
There is still no agreement on the status of the province, which de facto continues to follow the rules of the EU customs union. This should avoid a hard border with the EU member Ireland and new conflicts in the former civil war region.
But in fact an intra-British customs border has arisen. This is a thorn in the side of London, which is why Johnson wants to renegotiate the self-made agreement.
For Johnson, it does not fit into the picture that the current regulation has brought a boom to the Northern Irish economy. Because companies can easily trade with the UK and the EU, they have an advantage over their UK competitors.
Johnson did not mention Northern Ireland in his New Years speech, but he celebrated the reintroduction of the old standard, the Crown Stamp. “If crowns on pint glasses are more important than the status of Northern Ireland, it is hard to imagine that this government will turn away from its long-cherished neuroses about Brexit,” said expert Usherwood. This also includes the disturbed relationship with the EU.
A rapprochement is not in sight, wrote the expert Anand Menon recently. Cooperation with the old partner is not mentioned in the Brexit agreement and the British government does not seem to be interested in cooperation, Menon said. Foreign Minister Liz Truss is particularly noticeable because she tries to avoid the word “EU”. “Global Britain” is looking for new partners.
Public opinion has changed in surveys. A large proportion of “Leave” voters meanwhile also believe that Brexit was not a good idea. In contrast to his overwhelming election victory in 2019, leaving the EU is no longer a trump card for Johnson, Menon said. “Instead, the consequences, both domestically and internationally, could soon haunt him.” (SDA / kin)