- Theresa May has received backlash from Tories for not passing a Brexit deal and is being described by some as the worst PM in Britain’s history
- Upcoming local elections are likely to hit Tories hard, largely attributed to how they have dealt their departure from the EU
- The looming Brexit deal has impacted Britain’s economy in several ways with the most notable impact being the fall in the value of the pound
Britain voters dub Theresa May “a betrayer” for failing to pass a withdrawal agreement in Parliament. Local elections are set to take place on May 2nd this year and will involve 8,773 council seats across 259 councils in England and Northern Ireland.
Theresa May’s failure to deliver Brexit has substantially damaged the public reputation of the Conservatives and will no doubt jeopardize its electoral prospects. According to Jan French, the chairman of the Conservative Association:
“As far as we are concerned, these are local elections and they are nothing to do with national politics. We are having a bit of a tough time on the doorsteps, and we want to be talking about local things we can do and achieve.”
Brexit is expensive
Since the start of the Brexit debate, the cabinet has wasted more than € 13 million of taxpayers money on redundant no deal leave plans. Between mid-November and mid-January, the Government spent close to € 12.4 million on external consultants’ fees in addition to € 700,000 more used in Public Relations efforts to publicize Theresa May’s Brexit plans.
The PR consultants were asked to draft alternative plans to the Irish backstop if the Brexit plans failed. However, these efforts failed considerably and turned out to be costly since the latest proposal was overwhelmingly defeated in parliament on January 15 by a record 220 votes.
Vocal Labour MP and supporter of the pro-EU organization (Best for Britain), Tonia Antoniazzi stated that government spending on Brexit was clueless and uncalled for. Following the failed Brexit motion, the Labour party is likely to lose some of their supporters for feeling ignored after the EU referendum results.
A lot is at stake
Theresa May has faced increased pressure to support a second referendum as she tries to get her Withdrawal Agreement passed in the House of Commons.
The delay has had several impacts on Britain. The European ferry service reported a surge in sales of more than 50% attributed to an increasing number of people booking summer vacations following the delay of Article 50. The Brexit deal had discouraged many holidaymakers from travelling to Europe due to the challenges of processing travel documents. Also, the proceedings have resulted in the value of the pound falling. Since the Brexit campaigns, an average household in Europe has spent close €550 more.
