When the original vote to approve or reject Brexit happened, it was definitely a shock that England approved the eventual separation from the European Union. While much of the country recovered from the surprising results, many assessed all of the ways that the departure might not actually happen. Loopholes were analyzed, possible policy specifics were brought up, and most of the country (and the world) hoped that somehow, some way, the exit wouldn’t actually come to fruition despite the vote.
Now that Theresa May has had some time to get comfortable in her new position as the British Prime Minister, she is commenting on the status of Brexit talks, and the chances of this whole mess going away is less and less likely the more it is discussed. According to comments by May reported in the New York Times, Brexit could be instigated as soon as next March. Based on the rules of separating from the EU, it must be started within two years of when the vote happened, although that deadline can be extended if agreed upon by the British government.
The New York Times also reports that the British government isn’t completely clear on their Brexit strategy even though the vote happened at the beginning of the summer. The decision has already cost many investors and businesses a lot of money – including Mark Zuckerberg and Warren Buffett – and once the process has officially begun things are only going to get worse for international relations and companies. With this latest update at least Brits have more of a heads up about when the departure could occur and be able to prepare accordingly. Theresa May might not have any idea as to how Brexit will actually go down once the process begins, but a timeline is the first step in any plan. It might be a timeline leading to disaster, but gosh darn it a timeline is a timeline!
(via The New York Times)
