Long, arduous road to Brexit

Time for action not just rhetoric

ADDRESSING BUSINESS leaders in Vienna, Brexit Secretary David Davis drew on dystopian fiction insisting that Britain would not be thrown into a “Mad Max-style” world after it leaves the EU.

He referenced the postapocalyptic film while denying that ministers are preparing a programme of sweeping deregulation in a free-for-all come March 2019.

The speech by Mr Davis was the latest by a political big hitter as the Government attempts to flesh out what it calls “the road to Brexit”, and follows on from Boris Johnson’s arcane call to unite around a single vision, and Theresa May outlining the future relationship Britain wants to have with the EU.

The Haltemprice and Howden MP emphasised the UK’s desire to lead a “global race to the top” in rights and standards, while at the same time conceding that British business could “never be cheaper than China.”

Ministers have repeatedly spoken about wanting to avoid obstacles as we extricate ourselves from the EU. However, given that we are attempting to disentangle ourselves from four decades of rules and bureaucracy this isn’t easy.

Nevertheless, disentangle ourselves we must and while there has been no shortage of oratory and rhetoric in recent days underlining the importance of both sides recognising each other’s standards and regulations and the need for a smooth transition, there has been precious little evidence of how this can be achieved.

Twenty months on from the referendum decision and with just over a year now until the country’s exit from European Union the clock is ticking.

Livelihoods depend on the Government getting this right, and rather than simply talking about life after Brexit the time has come for our political leaders to explain how they are going to deliver a brave new world in which Britain is able to flourish.