Rishi Sunak defends Brexit, “huge opportunity” for the United Kingdom
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s 100th day in Downing Street on Tuesday also marks the third anniversary of Britain’s exit from the European Union.
Rishi Sunak at the University of Teesside in Darlington on January 30, 2023.
AFP
Brexit is “a huge opportunity” for British growth, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Monday evening. Since January 31, 2020, “we have made tremendous progress in harnessing the freedoms offered by Brexit to address generational challenges. Whether by leading the fastest vaccine deployment in Europe, by concluding commercial agreements with more than 70 countries or by regaining control of our borders,” he said in a press release.
“In my first 100 days as prime minister, that momentum hasn’t waned,” he added. “I am determined to ensure that the benefits of Brexit continue to empower people and businesses across the country.”
The Downing Street press release underlines in particular “the immense opportunity” of leaving the EU, in particular “for the growth of the British economy”. He cites the creation of free ports, areas considered outside the customs territory of the country and therefore benefiting from advantageous taxation, and the prospects opened up, according to him, by post-Brexit deregulation.
Popularity at half mast
According to the public budget forecasting body OBR, leaving the EU will nevertheless reduce the size of the British economy by around 4% in the long term, despite the free trade agreement signed with the EU. In addition, the United Kingdom is the only G7 country to have not yet returned to its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) before the Covid-19 pandemic.
The support of the British population for Brexit has also never been weaker. According to a YouGov poll published in November, less than a third of Britons believe it was a good decision. One in five Brexiters have changed their mind.
Arrived at the head of the British government at the end of October, Rishi Sunak restored a form of stability following the lightning mandate of Liz Truss, but he finds himself struggling in the face of the many social unrest caused by the surge in prices, inflation exceeding the 10% in the country.
AFP
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