Brexit No Deal Papers: Are We Any Wiser?

Yes. A Bit. The publication yesterday of the government’s first tranche of up to 80 Notices laying out guidance to everybody, including businesses, services and private citizens, were detailed in some places and vague in others. To non ideologues they demonstrated what all thinking people know. A crash Brexit will cost. Not just on the big ticket items like borders and supply chains, but on individual things like credit card charges, roaming fees, pensions paid to ex-pats and so on. There is a whole raft of new costs for business to cope with a more complex regime for both exporting and importing. Dozens of new government agencies have to be set up to monitor all the regulations to be repatriated. Life will become more complicated and it will also become more expensive. At least in the short to medium term.

At the centre of it all is this simple emerging truth. Britain will not be better off. And people were told that the reason for voting Brexit was compelling; we would be better off. This is going to have consequences. Big ones. And perhaps sooner than we think. Stay tuned.