Planning absent in Brexit deal

They are now in the final straight. On March 30 (NZT) Britain will leave the European Union. The finish line and the ultimate endresult are clear but still to be confirmed is what deal, if any, the country leaves with.

The sense that Prime Minister Theresa May’s Government has been an uncertain jockey on this beast has been there from the start.

The idea of Brexit was an emotional article of faith for Conservative Party proponents in the beginning. It’s clear what was missing was detailed policy planning for it at a basic level.

Lord Mervyn King, a former Bank of England governor, called the handling of negotiations “incompetent” and said the country seemed ill-prepared.

The even reported in the Government was planning a desperate-sounding Dunkirk-style charter flotilla to bring in food and supplies in case of a no-deal result.

Brexit reached another farcical peak last week when the secretary in charge of Brexit negotiations, Dominic Raab, admitted he wasn’t aware how important the Channel trade route is to Britain’s economy. UK Labour MP Chuka Umunna, tweeting in response, hit on a common complaint — that Brexit hadn’t turned out as promised. “Any claims Brexit would present problems for the everyday economy were dismissed as Project Fear by him & others — now they have to admit its reality”.

MP Jo Johnson — brother of former Foreign Secretary Boris — quit as a transport minister and called for another referendum. He told BBC Radio 4 that what was being offered fell “spectacularly short” of what had been promised. “It was a false prospectus, it was a fantasy set of promises.”

Meanwhile, a criminal investigation into Arron Banks, the millionaire donor with Russian ties behind the Leave campaign, has raised questions about the legitimacy of the 2016 referendum.

Still, May is hoping to get Cabinet backing for a draft withdrawal agreement this week. She has to somehow please her own party, her Northern Irish DUP allies and Brussels to get a deal through.

There is supposed to be an EU summit this month to finalise Brexit, but the negotiations have been held up on the Irish border. The BBC says the EU broadly accepts the proposal that Britain stay in a joint Customs union with the EU until a trade relationship can be worked out. But there are sticking points.

EU diplomats have said next month is the last chance to reach a deal. Even then, the House of Commons will need to vote on it.