By Felicity Duncan
After a long and painful process, Theresa May has a draft Brexit agreement. In a nutshell, it would see the UK remain in a customs union with the EU until the two are able to negotiate a trade agreement. This will defer the problem of the Irish border, leaving it to be settled in the trade talks.
Mayโs challenge now is to sell this deal to Parliament. Many British legislators have already expressed major reservations about it. Some are worried because it keeps the UK in the customs union and the whole point of Brexit was to get out. Others worry about the lack of a real long-term solution to the Irish border problem. And plenty of others donโt want to Brexit at all. Itโs going to be a tough sell. If May canโt do it, her government may collapse and the Tories may lose a new general election. Another Brexit referendum is also a possibility (albeit a remote one). For South Africans, this years-long display of governing ineptitude should, at least, come as some consolation.
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