Like an unstoppable express we are heading for Brexit
3 ECONOMIC OUTLOOK
Sixty-five per cent believe that, even if there is a short-term economic hit, the UK economy will be back to business as usual “within a couple of years”
The remaining third think the UK economy will be damaged permanently by Brexit
However, this masks a THERE comes a moment in every great journey when the destination can be spotted on the horizon.
That time is upon us now because it is exactly a year from today that Britain will be out of the European Union and re-engaging with the rest of the world.
Now is the time for us all to come together in support of our departure from the EU.
That is why today the Prime Minister will travel to all four corners of the UK to make the case for Brexit.
Never mind that Tony Blair persists in claiming that Brexit will not happen. Avert your gaze from that perpetual Labour leadership contender Owen Smith, who demands a second referendum because his side lost and he wants a rematch.
Like an unstoppable express, we are heading for Brexit and, frankly my friends, we can’t arrive soon enough.
Looking ahead, we can already see the contours of the new world that awaits us. Months of painstaking negotiations have started to fill in the canvas.
After our departure from the EU next March, there will be a short and strictly time-limited
However, more people are pessimistic than optimistic about their household being better off post-Brexit (44% to 29%), about being able to travel across Europe as freely as they can today (45% to 32%) and about Britain’s ability to negotiate a trade deal before we leave the EU (44% to 35%) “implementation period” lasting until December 2020.
The aim is to give British business enough time to prepare for the opportunities ahead.
Do not listen to those who say that nothing will change during that relatively brief interval. We will immediately regain the ability to negotiate, sign and ratify free trade deals – in short, to make our own way in the world.
These freedoms are vital because 80 per cent of the world economy – and 90 per cent of world economic growth – lies outside the EU.
Look at the booming markets of Asia. India, with more than a billion people, is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. The Pacific Rim, is increasingly the epicentre of global commerce.
Remember our old friends in the Commonwealth, who are gathering in London next month for one of the biggest summits in our history. If you go through the numbers, you will find that Commonwealth economies have collectively
OUR EXCLUSIVE POLL: THE RESULTS
expanded twice as fast as the EU since we decided to join back in 1972.
It was nearly 50 years ago that Edward Heath ignored the advice of the Daily Express and took us into what we then called the Common Market.
Since then, we have struggled to resist the incoming tides of European federalism, sending our best diplomats to Brussels not to get things done for the sake of the country, but to wage often futile arguments to stop things that would damage our interests.
We tried to make membership work, but for all the best intentions of its founders, the EU never evolved to meet the distinctive needs of an outward-looking global Britain, with friends in every corner of the world.
Today, we are looking forward to agreeing a partnership with our European neighbours that will serve all our interests.
The remarkable response to the terrible events in Salisbury, with 23 countries choosing to expel 116 Russian diplomats, shows the strength of Britain’s influence and alliances.
Our national journey out of the EU is almost over – and a glorious view awaits.