One Big Lesson From Brexit’s First 100 Days
Britain and the EU need to get past the bitterness of their split.
That part went well.
Photographer: Frank Augstein-WPA Pool/Getty Images
What lessons can be drawn from the first 100 days of Brexit? Fewer than one might wish. The chaos of recent months underlines the difficulty, and maybe the pointlessness, of even trying to make forecasts amid such uncertainty.
For a start, the pandemic has overwhelmed the short-term results of quitting the EU. All those calculations of the effects on Britain’s growth, trade and employment have been rendered null. Thanks to Covid-19, the British economy has slumped, trade volumes have crashed, and many jobs have disappeared perhaps never to return. Moreover, adjustment to Brexit has barely even begun. Many temporary arrangements are still in place. Crucial new agreements, including deals that will shape the future of the City of London as a financial hub, have yet to be negotiated. It’ll be some time before the full legal meaning of Brexit is clear, and years after that before its enduring effects can be judged.