MAKING A DOG’S BREAKFAST OF BREXIT: Last week, Teresa May’s government released a paper explaining how it would approach negotiations over Brexit with the European Union. The strategy appears to be to give away the shop. My reaction is here, and those with an eye for the detail can read Brexit expert Lee Rotherham’s in-depth discussion here. As I note, the negotiating stance will likely make a UK-US free trade deal impossible, but that’s not even the silliest thing in the paper. As Lee notes,
For some reason, the Conservative Government is endorsing the Social Chapter [on labor and employment rules] as a core part of future economic policy, and a baseline of its negotiating strategy. This is beyond not wise.
Indeed.
The good news is that the howl of betrayed Brexit voters over the weekend appears to have been heard, and May has backed down on some key parts of the strategy that are up for a vote in Parliament this week.
For any other Prime Minister, this would probably be fatal. Teresa May, however, appears to have no intention of resigning.