What is a ‘no deal Brexit’?
A no deal Brexit is exactly what it says it is – it simply means that the UK will withdraw from the European Union without reaching an agreement. Theresa May is currently looking into proposing a 2-year transition period, which would not take place if no agreement can be reached. Although a no-deal agreement does not prevent the UK from leaving the EU, it does mean that there will be no clarity on what takes place next.
May’s stance on a no-deal Brexit
According to research conducted by comresglobal.com, when people were asked the specific soft vs. hard Brexit question, the majority sided with soft. Before the UK General Election last year, Theresa May stated that she would deliberate over leaving the European Union without a deal as “no deal is better than a bad deal”, and that the UK must be ready to just “walk out”.
Theresa May told the BBC that MPs will have a choice between her proposed Chequers deal with the EU – or no deal at all – also admitting that a “no-deal agreement” would possibly cause “short-term disruption”.
She went on to claim that a no-deal Brexit “wouldn’t be the end of the world” if the UK was unable to reach a satisfactory agreement – though she recognises that leaving without a deal “wouldn’t be a walk in the park”.
Why the no deal Brexit has failed?
However, according to the Independent: “Britain has left it too late to prepare its borders for a no-deal Brexit, which would be a gift for organised criminals and chaotic for traders, the UK’s spending watchdog warns Theresa May today… as planning was undermined by “political uncertainty and delays in negotiations”, the National Audit Office (NAO) has concluded.” Theresa May has been so focused on convincing everyone that a no-deal Brexit was a good idea, that it wasn’t “the end of the world”, that she forgot to put a plan in place for it, and now the time is up. Leaving us now in a “where do we go from here” state – a position the UK has become all too familiar with.
What happens now?
Currently, May has told the majority of Conservative MPs that she will be exploring “every possible option” to break the stagnancy in Brexit negotiations – the Irish border issue she claims is still a “considering sticking point”. If this deadlock does not reach a resolution and the UK ends up sticking with a no deal a agreement by the time of the EU summit in mid-December, there are four possible options stated by the express.co.uk:
- “Do nothing. We leave without a deal.”
- “Delay departure, seeking an extension of Article 50”
- “Put it to a vote, holding another public referendum”
- “Try to have another last-ditch attempt at negotiating”
However, the most realistic option at this point in time would be to continue negotiations – mainly because it is the least worst option.
