The European Union and the United Kingdom have agreed on a draft divorce deal following two years of talks. British Prime Minister May described the deal as “immensely difficult” as she is now preparing to get it approved by her own cabinet and by the Parliament. For the EU, this is the first-ever withdrawal of a member state from the club. Opponents in Ms. May’s own party accused her of surrendering to the EU and said they would vote against the agreement. There are also general concerns that she won’t be able to pass it through the Parliament.
“The trick will be for Theresa May, can she satisfy everyone?” said Nigel Dodds, the deputy leader of the Northern Irish Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which keeps Ms. May’s cabinet in power. “It is going to be a very, very hard sell, I would have thought, but let’s wait and see the actual detail,” Mr. Dodds added. The British parliament met yesterday (14 November) to discuss the withdrawal deal.
In any case, the Brexit deal will essentially throw the world’s fifth largest economy into unchartered waters and many are skeptical as to whether the event will not divide the international community even more as the it is grappling with the US presidency of Donald Trump and revisionist Russia. Pro-Brexit campaigners say that the Brexit might have a short-term negative impact on the British economy but it will allow the country to thrive in the long run and even prop deeper integration with the EU without political intricacies of being a reluctant member state.
