The British government dismissed the criticism that the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union was a mistake. The criticism came from several eurosceptic politicians regarding the manner in which Brexit was implemented.
A spokesperson for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Tuesday that Brexit has not failed despite criticism from several eurosceptic politicians like former politician Nigel Farage, who played a key role in forcing a Brexit referendum in 2016 and pushed for the UK to leave the EU, who recently said that Brexit failed. The spokesperson was pressed on whether Sunak agreed with Farage.
“No. The Prime Minister has talked about the benefits of Brexit on a number of occasions,” said the spokesperson.
Farage criticized how the Conservative government has handled the implementation of Brexit.
“Arguably, now we’re back in control, we’re regulating our own businesses even more than they were as EU members. Brexit has failed,” Farage told the BBC, adding that the takeover regulation and corporation tax was driving businesses out.
Conservative lawmaker and eurosceptic William Cash also accused the government of making “trivial” and “obsolete” changes by announcing that it plans to scrap out around 600 of the almost 4,000 EU laws by the end of the year. Sunak’s government has argued that the UK is prospering with its newfound freedoms, and the opposition Labour Party has not expressed plans for the UK to rejoin the bloc should it win the general elections in 2024.
Opinion polls to this day have shown that a majority of the public regret leaving the EU.
On Wednesday, automaker Stellantis warned that British car factories would be forced to close if the government does not re-negotiate this Brexit deal immediately. Stellantis, who owns car brands Peugeot, Citroen, Vauxhall, and Fiat, told parliament that under the current deal, it would be subject to tariffs when exporting electric vans to Europe starting next year when the stricter post-Brexit rules would take effect.
The carmaker also urged the government to come to an agreement with the EU on extending the current rules on sourcing parts until 2027 instead of 2024 as planned. A spokesperson for the government said the business secretary has raised the issue with the bloc.
Photo by Simon Dawson (No. 10 Downing Street)/Wikimedia Commons(CC by 2.0)