Leaked memo reveals lack of planning for Brexit
Brexit has left many worried.
A leaked memo claims that Britian is substantially prepared to withdraw from the European Union just yet.
A leaked document has revealed that British Prime Minister Theresa May’s government is not yet ready to move ahead with Brexit as there is no clear plan to execute the same. The memo has supposedly come from the Cabinet Office. It stated that there was a requirement of over 30,000 more officials from various departments allotted to over 500 Brexit-related projects, as reported by The Times. The consultant who framed the memo stated that each department had come up with a “bottom-up” of the Brexit’s possible impacts. “Although necessary, this falls considerably short of having a ‘government plan for Brexit’ because it has no prioritisation and no link to the overall negotiation strategy,” remarked the consultant. The memo has been reportedly written by a consultant from the firm Deloitte and it was meant to be private. “Industry has two unpleasant realizations – first, that the Government’s priority remains its political survival, not the economy,” the memo stated, adding, “Second, that there will be no clear economic-Brexit strategy any time soon because it is being developed on a case-by-case basis as specific decisions are forced on Government.”
The memo pointed out that internal rifts based on differences of opinion on how to proceed with Brexit is a problem. “The division has put Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, Trade Minister Liam Fox and Brexit Minister David Davis on one side and finance minister Philip Hammond and Business Secretary Greg Clark on the other,” the document said.
The memo made a prediction that “major players” from industries were going to “point a gun at government’s head” to assure a harmless Brexit. The memo also pointed to Britain’s need for more trade negotiators and lawyers to work through that future relationship with European Union. Until now, it hasn’t needed trade negotiators but with new legal intricacies post-Brexit, there will be a major requirement for the same in future negotiations with the European Union.
The office of Prime Minister Theresa May denied the source of the memo and its link to the government. “This unsolicited document has nothing to do with the government at all,” a spokesman stated. “It was produced by an individual from an external accountancy firm. It has no authority, and we don’t recognize any of the claims it makes.”
Long road ahead for Brexit
This year in June around 52 pc of voters in Britain decided to leave the European Union. This came after the country had been a member of the European Union for 43 years, leaving many shocked. Uncertainties and speculations across the world remain rife. The UK High Court ruled that the Brexit decision now needs an approval of the Parliament, which may play a role in delaying May’s plans to formally initiate the process by March 2017 and complete it in two years.
Many countries have stated their apprehensions on the future of bilateral ties with the UK, including India. The UK had ranked 18th in the list of India’s top 25 trading partners in 2014-15, and there are a large number of students from India studying at the UK. However, as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met May, many assurances were made to ensure a smooth relation in the near future for India with the country headed to exit the European Union.
