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It’s hair-pulling: Boris Johnson led Britain out of the EU in kamikaze fashion and had to resign as prime minister last year.
Guido Fieldsforeign editor
Many had warned of this, but Boris Johnson (58) pulled the thing through with brutal consequence: On January 31, 2020, the British Prime Minister at the time disconnected the Kingdom from the EU with a promise to single-handedly bring the country into “a golden age”. to lead.
Exactly three years after Brexit, there is more than just disillusionment. Brexit – combined with the pandemic and war in Ukraine – has plunged the kingdom into recession and misery. Many Britons can no longer pay the bill for electricity and heating, and sometimes even for food. One in five Britons is affected by poverty – hardly imaginable in welfare states on the continent.
Because there is a lack of money and staff, industry, trade, restaurants, scientists and artists are starving. At the same time, EU border controls and trade barriers make life difficult for entrepreneurs. The number of bankruptcies in catering establishments has risen by two-thirds. The German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK) describes Brexit as an “economic disaster” for both Great Britain and the EU.
The false promises
Many of the Brexit promises could not be kept. On the contrary: it often backfired. A selection:
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Money blessing for health: The Brexiteers predicted that £350m a week would flow to the national health service instead of Brussels. The reality: Nursing staff went on strike in mid-January. They defend themselves against the “absolutely catastrophic” state of health care. There is no sign of the blessing of money.
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Higher wages: The work should be distributed among the British at fair wages. The reality: Since the Brexit yes, the gross domestic product has shrunk by 5.2 percent. Inflation is currently around 11 percent. Strikes demand higher wages.
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New trade agreements: Johnson tied up with then US President Donald Trump (76). There was talk of a “very comprehensive free trade agreement” with the United States. The reality: London has only concluded agreements with Australia and New Zealand, but these never compensate for the loss of trade with the EU. The treaty with the USA is a long way off.
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Control over fishing: There is a bitter dispute between the EU and Great Britain over fishing quotas. Johnson had promised Britain would regain full control of its waters. The reality: A new agreement provides for EU fishermen’s fishing rights to be gradually reduced by just 25 percent.
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Restrict Immigration: A strict law should massively restrict immigration. The reality: After Brexit, 330,000 workers from the EU actually left the country. In 2022, however, immigration rose to a record level. Many unqualified people came who could never remedy the massive shortage of skilled workers – there was a shortage of up to 100,000 truck drivers.
Majority wants return
It has become quiet about the Brexit drivers from back then. Premier Johnson has been forced to resign over a series of scandals. The vacuum cleaner producer James Dyson (75) had meanwhile gone to Singapore, chemical engineer Sir Jim Ratcliff (70), who wanted to produce his new electric car in Wales, to France. Other dazzling figures at the time, such as former Ukip boss Nigel Farage (58) and strategist Dominic Cummings (51) from “Vote Leave” have disappeared.
The wind has turned in Great Britain – partly because the border issue between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland can hardly be resolved. In surveys, around 60 percent of Britons say that Brexit was the wrong decision. 57 percent advocate a return to the EU.
A “Swiss-style” approach is also under discussion, i.e. a link to the customs union and the internal market, as the “Sunday Times” wrote on a front page in November 2022. However, the return of the free movement of people is still a no-go for many – despite the obvious shortage of workers.
“Political Mess”
Gilbert Casasus (67), Emeritus Professor of European Studies, sums it up: “Brexit was based on false promises that were neither politically credible nor financially feasible.” The Brexit vote led to a political mess that weakened the UK both domestically and externally.
Great Britain has managed to nominate five heads of government within a few years, who also belong to the same party, the conservative Tories. Casasus: “Many Britons and Europeans therefore want a political change at the top of Great Britain so that the country can regain the lost prestige and its political self-confidence.”