The case for a Brextension

Press quote (Financial Times)
Sam Lowe
21 April 2020

EU and UK Brexit negotiators held their latest round of virtual talks on Monday. Samuel Lowe at the Centre for European Reform makes the case for both sides to agree a maximum two-year extension that can be ended early if a future relationship deal is agreed after the pandemic:“It is difficult to believe that any but the most extreme of Brexit supporters would not accept the argument that a global pandemic has led to the attentions of the EU and UK being elsewhere for the moment, meaning they are going to need a little more time to negotiate a trade deal. Regardless, leadership is not about pandering to the most dogmatic elements of your party and population: it is about taking decisions that are in the best interest of the country, whether they prove unpopular or not.”