Brexit pangs
Brexit, once hailed as a grand natural experiment for economists to dissect the repercussions of leaving a low-friction trade environment, has proven messier than anticipated.
British Prime Minister Theresa May has urged Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the main opposition Labour Party, to “put differences aside” and agree on a Brexit deal, the media reported on Sunday.
The UK was supposed to leave the European Union (EU) on March 29, but the deadline has been delayed until October 31, after MPs rejected May’s withdrawal agreement three times, reports the BBC.
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May is now seeking Labour support to get an agreement through Parliament.
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In an op-ed published in the Daily Mail newspaper on Sunday, May wrote: “It is clear that the voters delivered their judgment in large part based on what is happening – or not happening – at Westminster. And, as Prime Minister, I fully accept my share of the responsibility for that.
“The voters expect us to deliver on the result of the referendum and, so far, Parliament has rejected the deal which I have put forward.”
May said she hopes to find a “unified, cross-party position” with Labour – despite admitting that her colleagues “find this decision uncomfortable” and that “frankly, it is not what I wanted, either”.
Talks between Labour and the Conservatives are to resume on Tuesday.
According to the Sunday Times, May will compromise on three areas: customs, goods alignment and workers’ rights.
The daily said that she could put forward plans for a comprehensive, but temporary, customs arrangement with the EU that would last until the next general election.
On Saturday, former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith said a deal with Labour would not be legitimate.
“Two discredited administrations making a discredited deal is not the answer to the electorate,” he told the BBC.
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