Brexit Is Back. Even Covid-19 Can't Stop It
Boris Johnson’s popularity means he’s likely to stay the course on seeking an EU trade deal this year, but he’ll be keeping a careful eye on his polling.
Next round by video.
Photographer: OLIVIER HOSLET/AFPThe coronavirus pandemic has closed schools, shuttered restaurants, emptied office buildings, put Prime Minister Boris Johnson in intensive care and forced much of the U.K. economy into cryogenic suspension. So far, though, it hasn’t derailed Brexit.
Fronting the daily U.K. press conference Tuesday, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak affirmed that the government was committed to its current timetable for trade talks with the European Union, which resume Wednesday. In a photo tweeted by the EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, only the empty chairs between his team were a clue that something has changed in the non-Brexit world. Talks on the future trading relationship were paused when the virus hit both negotiating sides. They’re restarting in the same way that most of us are conducting our professional lives: remotely.