The strike movement for better wages that began several months ago in the United Kingdom has now spread to almost all sectors of activity, threatening to paralyze the country. After the railway workers, teachers, customs officers and paramedics, the nurses are preparing to join the ranks of the protest next Wednesday. It must be said that following two years of the implementation of Brexit, the economic upturn promised far from the shackles of the European Union is still not there.
Inflation reached 11% in one year, GDP fell by 0.3% in the third quarter of 2022 and the United Kingdom entered a period of recession which should continue in 2023. “Obviously Brexit has an impact in the current crisis, says Aurélien Antoine, director of the Brexit Observatory and professor of law at the University of Saint-Étienne. Coming out of 50 years of very strong, integrated relations with a supranational organization like the EU, it’s not easy.
When the relationships were close and constant, how do you expect it to be simple? As an example, “Brexit has reduced British foreign trade by 10 to 15% compared to a scenario without Brexit,” Jonathan Portes, an economist at King’s College London, told AFP. “There are administrative formalities and additional checks, new rules, customs fees…, explains Aurélien Antoine. All this leads to additional costs and loss of time in all economic areas”.
