Government Officials Clash Over Brexit
In a recent interview with the Sun, the business secretary said that the UK government should wait to see what the future holds for the EU, as a number of crucial elections are expected to be held in the coming months across the continent. Last month at Labour Party conference, Jonathan Reynolds had warned that continuous constitutional questions surrounding the UK’s relationship with the EU are causing “a lot of uncertainty for business”.
The comments come just a day after chancellor John Healy expressed similar concerns. Healy, who remains less pro-European than other government officials, has also stressed the importance of respecting the results of the Brexit referendum. He went so far as to state he does not expect the country to rejoin the EU in his lifetime.
British and EU officials are expected to discuss a number of topics, including freedom of movement, in the upcoming EU-UK summit scheduled for 20 November.
Debate Reopened
While Andy Burnham has been open about his desire to see the UK rejoin the single market and potentially become a member-state again, he has also said he wants a public debate to be had over what the relationship should look like. By reopening the discussions surrounding Brexit, it seems the prime minister has also reignited the divisiveness associated with it. Since the referendum, Britain’s politics has become increasingly polarised and resulted in seven prime ministers in just a decade. While reopening the Brexit debate will be politically risky and contentious, it will be necessary if the government wants to reverse the economic damage caused by Britain’s exit.
