North East Surrey for Europe: Why Boris’s botched Brexit beggars belief

Richard Corbett, former Labour MEP and well-informed speaker will explain the background to Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal and discuss the fallout, followed by Q&A

Sometimes UK public opinion shifts overwhelmingly against something it initially supported (e.g. Suez, Iraq) when it turns out to be a disaster. Sometimes events cause rapid change. Will the same happen with Brexit?

There are numerous consequences of Brexit which are not receiving sufficient publicity. Leaving the EU came at a huge cost to the UK economically, culturally and in terms of our standing in the world.

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Richard Corbett, former Labour MEP, linguist, author and fluent and well-informed speaker will explain the background to Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal and discuss the fallout.

Sometimes UK public opinion shifts overwhelmingly against something it initially supported (e.g. Suez, Iraq) when it turns out to be a disaster. Sometimes events cause rapid change. Will the same happen with Brexit?

There are numerous consequences of Brexit which are not receiving sufficient publicity. Leaving the EU came at a huge cost to the UK economically, culturally and in terms of our standing in the world.

Stephanie Flanders, economist and head of Bloomberg Economics, said it would take trade with 4 Americas to compensate for the loss of the single market. Over 400 financial firms in Britain have shifted activities, staff and a combined trillion pounds in assets to the European Union due to Brexit, removing jobs and tax revenue to the continent. British meat exports are down a shocking 52% after Brexit. Exports to our biggest market, Ireland, have also dropped more than two thirds. Sales of milk and cream to the EU plunged 96% because of Brexit. Brexit is forcing musicians to reconsider life in the UK, with an exodus of performers from Britain. Small businesses are closing, with consequent job losses, because they cannot afford the extra staff to deal with the paperwork to export to the EU. EU citizens are finding it harder to get jobs or rent homes, since even with Settled Status they have no paper proof of residency. The situation in Ireland is increasingly fragile. The EU is also suffering from the complexities of border barriers – with the UK having chosen to be outside the single market and the customs union. Those in charge lied their way to power and do not care about the damage done to Britain.

What can be done to mitigate the effects? Richard Corbett, an experienced and knowledgeable pro-European, will enlighten us on the current situation, followed by a discussion with Q&A.

Richard Corbett is a former Labour MEP for Yorkshire and the Humber, and Vice Chair of the European Movement. He was formerly head of the European Parliamentary Labour Party. Since the UK’s departure from the EU, Corbett has maintained his links to the European Parliament. He was also recently honoured to be appointed to the Common Secretariat of the “Conference on the Future of Europe”.

Richard studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Trinity College, Oxford and subsequently completed a doctorate in political science at the University of Hull. He is the co-author of an eponymous academic textbook on the European Parliament (now the standard reference book across Europe) and he speaks English, French, German and Dutch.