British Prime Minister Theresa May has publicly addressed the increasing pressures that she and the government are facing as the negotiations take place for Brexit. She spoken about where she sees Britain’s trade going in the future as she travels the world, trying to figure out where to take the trade after leaving the EU. She used the appearance to assure the nation that, following concerns during her trip to China to discuss a possible trade deal, Britain will not be facing a choice between a trade deal with the European Union and a string of trade deals with the rest of the world.
These announcements by May came as she had been criticised recently by Conservative MPs for leading Britain into what they call a “Brexit in name only.” Yeah, the name we made up after the referendum we called for and the outcome we voted for. Typical politician babble using these vague, mostly meaningless terms. Brexit in name only – and that’s what? Brexit happens and we call it Brexit, but we don’t leave the EU? Because that’s what the “name” Brexit means. It’s a portmanteau of “Britain” and “exit.” If Britain exits the EU, then it’ll be Brexit in more than just name only.
Brexit negotiations set to resume on Monday
The EU leave that’s going to take place roughly a year from now will continue to be discussed within the UK government starting on Monday, after May’s little detour to China, where she ignored the human rights crisis for the sake of friendly trade discussions.
David Davis, the Brexit Secretary, will meet with the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, on Monday for the first time in 2018 so far, while all the technical details are getting ironed out by everyone else.
Davis tweeted that he was “looking forward” to the meeting with Barnier, where he will be “welcoming” his European friend to London.
He described this upcoming summit as an “important next step” in the Brexit negotiations. Meanwhile, May’s trip to China has led to over £9 billion’s worth of trade deals being signed. This was described by Downing Street as being the “first step” in a prospective business situation for Britain following Brexit that they called “ambitious.” China has the second biggest economy in the world, so it’s quite exciting.
But despite all the excitement, May is facing a lot of criticism for leaving her priorities for Brexit and her plans for the future of British trade relatively unclear. It’s politicians being vague again – it’s the source of most of the issues, really. According to Liam Fox, who was present in China for May’s visit, the UK is prohibited from getting involved with any customs deal with the EU as soon as Brexit has taken place. No. 10 confirmed that he was speaking for the government and not just for himself, but added that the decision wasn’t final and that it was being negotiated, saying that May has “an open mind” about the situation.
May facing criticism for her indecisiveness over Brexit negotiations
May has been facing a lot of criticism recently – as she often does – because of what is perceived to be indecisiveness over the Brexit negotiations. She doesn’t know what her priorities are, she doesn’t know what she wants – or at least she doesn’t let on or tell her party these things – and that’s something you should do if you’re a leader. She’s the British Prime Minister and no one knows where her heart is.
One detractor who used to be a supporter said that May has “more reviews than a film critic would produce in a lifetime,” while another said that they felt “badly let down” by the PM as a leader. A Boris Johnson hater has pondered if his “bad leadership would be better than no leadership.” With May, it seems that it is “no leadership,” since she’s not leading and she has no clue what she wants to get out of Brexit.
