12-16-2016, 01:45 AM
A post-Brexit UK-EU trade deal might take 10 years to finalise and still fail, Britain's ambassador to the EU has privately told the government. The BBC understands Sir Ivan Rogers warned ministers that the European consensus was that a deal might not be done until the early to mid-2020s. He also cautioned that an agreement could be rejected ultimately by other EU members' national parliaments. PM Theresa May said she wanted Brexit to be "smooth and orderly"... It is also understood he suggested that the expectation among European leaders was that a free trade deal, rather than continued membership of the single market, was the likely option for the UK after Brexit. Sir Ivan's private advice contrasts with ministers publicly insisting a deal can be done in the two years allowed by the triggering of Article 50 - the formal start of the process of leaving the EU.
Brexit trade deal could take 10 years, says UK's ambassador - BBC News
The vote for Brexit was fuelled by poorer voters feeling they had very little control over immigration, coupled with a more general mistrust of politicians and officials, according to new research into attitudes before the referendum. The study, carried out for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, presents a wider narrative of voters being increasingly motivated by emotion, rather than economic choices, something the researchers said could point to a future in which populist parties thrive.
Poorer voters' worries on immigration fuelled Brexit vote, study finds | Politics | The Guardian