Jason Moore24/08/2017 00:00
TW
4

The British government and the European Union do not appear to be in any hurry to push ahead with the Brexit negotiations, even though the uncertainty is hurting British business. Negotiations have officially started and then ended, and they are unlikely to start again much before the end of the year, by which time almost 18 months will have passed since the referendum and little or nothing will be clear.

How are British businesses meant to plan for the future when they are completely in the dark? Take the travel industry. Senior executives are busy planning for next year, even though no one knows what is going to happen to the airline industry once Brexit is completed. The airline industry could be hit hard.

There are some who say that the uncertainty is caused by the British government, which is clueless as regards to Brexit. The government is said to have a plan, but it is a plan which is certainly being kept secret. There is no way that Britain will have exited the European Union by 2019. It could take forever. And as I have said, no one appears to to be in a hurry. It has even led some to say that Brexit will never come about.

The British government certainly needs a minor miracle. The EU can just sit back and delay the actual exit as long as possible. This long-drawn out divorce will in the short-term hit the British economy hard. Brexit may mean Brexit, but when it will happen is the big question.