Brexit reassurances will not calm fears

JEREMY Hunt’s assurance that Britain will “survive and prosper” after a no-deal Brexit, just a day after describing this exit from the EU as a “mistake we would regret for generations”, is unlikely to calm nerves across Wales.

The new Foreign Secretary clearly does not want the UK to be gripped by panic as Brexit day nears, and does not want the EU to think that we are so desperate for a deal that we will accept whatever they deign to offer us.

But people the length and breadth of this nation will not have forgotten Airbus’ stark warning that a no-deal Brexit would be “catastrophic”.

Other major employers and investors across the UK have lined up to warn that this is an outcome we cannot afford.

Wales is particularly dependent on exports to the EU and has more to lose than the rest of the UK from a botched Brexit. We already have some of the lowest earnings levels in Great Britain and any further blows to our economy have the potential to cause real harm to the livelihoods of families.

With time running out, this is not the time for ideological posturing or political jockeying by aspiring Prime Ministers. It is not in the interests of either the UK or the EU for Britain to leave without a deal and it will be a gross failure of leadership if this happens.

Politicians in all parties should think less about how they can win applause at the upcoming party conferences and instead focus their energy on helping secure a Brexit deal that will minimise instability and economic disruption.

Brexit, like devolution, has been described as a process rather than an event. It will not help the cause of ardent Brexiteers if the immediate aftermath is a time of turbulence and distress.

Those who long to see the UK emerge as a confident trading nation should do nothing today which will hurt our manufacturing sector, see skilled people stripped of their jobs, and imperil agriculture.

A miserable Brexit will tear at the bonds which unite the UK’s nations. Champions of Brexit are understandably anxious that the UK will end up having to accept EU rules without having a say in crafting regulations – but the country’s ability to chart its own destiny will be diminished if a hasty exit injures the economy and wrecks confidence.

This is a time for cool heads and compassionate hearts.