Brexit isn’t done. Brexit can never be done. No hoisting of the flag, no singing of the national anthem, no bonging of Big Ben can put an end to the process. Because Brexit — though the word itself suggests otherwise — is a process, not an event. It is a long economic realigning, not an abrupt economic realignment.
The government believes that the press and the public will ignore the negotiations. The endless acronyms will relegate Brexit to the business pages. The slow drip of jobs being lost will not be linked to the UK’s self-imposed exclusion from the world’s largest single market.
But this series is an attempt to keep people engaged. Over the next week we will examine the negotiations sector-by-sector. Hopefully these pieces will provide some context for the coming months (which we have also outlined in this timetable). Here is your essential guide to the next stage of the long process that is Brexit.
Fishing by George Grylls
If one industry benefits from Brexit, surely it is fishing? Well, it turns out things are not quite so simple.
The Car Industry by Anoosh Chakelian
Why are Nissan, Jaguar Land Rover, Honda and Vaxuhall all moving production away from the UK?
Data by Oscar Williams
A compromise between privacy and national security allows data to flow across borders. So does the “Snoopers’ Charter” undermine the UK’s ability to do a deal with the EU?
The Chemicals Industry by George Grylls
The second largest manufacturing industry in the UK is chemicals and 70 per cent of its exports go to the EU. What could possibly go wrong?
Higher Education by Anoosh Chakelian
The UK hoovers up 19.5 per cent of the European Research Council budget — more than any other country. Will UK universities be able to stick with the Erasmus and Horizon schemes after Brexit?
Financial Services by George Eaton
What is “passporting” and why does it matter? Can London really become a Singapore-on-Thames? Can the City be traded for fish?
Aerospace and Defence by George Grylls
There are 4 million parts in an Airbus 380. If customs checks hold up just one of them at the border, then the plane doesn’t get built. What will a hard Brexit do to aerospace and defence?
Pharmaceuticals by Will Dunn
Why has AstraZeneca — a British based company — just chosen to invest over $500 million in R&D on the other side of the channel?
Agriculture by Will Dunn
Why do we eat so much foreign pork? Does Brexit mean we are all going to start eating chlorinated chicken?
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