8 hours Ago By kuwaittimes
LONDON: Britain left the European Union five years ago on Friday, but the anniversary was met with little fanfare as Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer seeks closer relations with the bloc. Starmer, who voted to remain during the 2016 Brexit referendum, had no plans to mark the occasion, which fell just days before he heads to Brussels for talks with European counterparts. “We are very much looking forwards and we know we can do better to make Brexit work for the British people,” his deputy spokesman told reporters in Downing Street.
“It’s in the UK’s national interest to have a more cooperative relationship with the EU,” he said, adding that the bloc was Britain’s “largest trading partner and our closest neighbor”. Britons voted to leave the EU by 52 percent to 48 percent in a vote that split family and friends and caused shock waves around the world. Three-and-a-half years of bitter wrangling over the nature of Britain’s future relationship with the EU ensued before the UK officially left the block at 11 pm (2300 GMT) on January 31, 2020.
Then Conservative prime minister Boris Johnson said Britain could make its exit from the union after 47 years a “stunning success”, although he conceded there might be “bumps in the road ahead”. Thousands of people waving Union Jack flags packed London’s parliament square in celebration as the clock struck 11 - midnight in Brussels - while countless opponents worried about Britain’s future stayed at home. Five years on, with many Britons still suffering from Brexit fatigue and barely healed scars, the fifth anniversary was set to pass with little more than a fleeting mention.
Shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel said the date marked five years since her Conservative party “honored the democratic will of the British people”. She claimed the country had since “reaped the benefits of securing new trade deals with dynamic, fast-growing markets across the world and reclaiming sovereignty from Brussels”. But Brexit cheerleader Nigel Farage, whose hard-right Reform UK party are riding high in the polls, said he was “disappointed in the way it’s been delivered”.
The UK has not been able to sign many of the major trade deals touted by Brexiteers, notably with the United States and Canada, while the economy has been enduring little-to-no growth for months. Polls now suggest that most Britons think Brexit was wrong, including one by YouGov published on Friday which found that 55 percent of respondents now support rejoining the EU. David Josephs, who runs a fruit and vegetable wholesaler in Covent Garden in central London, said Brexit had been a “complete nightmare” for his business.
He told AFP he had lost dozens of suppliers from across Europe due to an increase in paperwork. “I’m sorry to say there’s been zero benefit. Literally zero.
We’ve gone into the dark ages as regards being able to trade, communicate, travel,” Josephs said. Brexit has, however been a boon for Steve Horton, who runs a customs clearance and logistics company in Dover, southeast England. “Business has grown on the back of the paperwork that is now needed,” he told AFP, adding that his business has gone from “a single desk” to “50 staff across five offices”.
Starmer insists that his European “reset” will not reverse Brexit. He has ruled out signing Britain back up to the single market, customs union or freedom of movement. But he does want improvements to the existing Trade and Co-operation Agreement between the UK and the EU that is due for renewal in 2026, as well as a new defence and security pact and a veterinary agreement.
The European Commission, meanwhile, has touted the possibility of a youth mobility programme and Britain joining a pan-European and North African customs scheme which allows for the tariff-free trade of some goods. On Monday, Starmer will become the first UK premier since Brexit to attend a European Council gathering when he attends an informal EU leaders retreat in Belgium to push his reset. — AFP.
