Professor Richard Whitman, School of Politics and International Relations, is among the contributors asked to pick out the important details from the government paper.
Following months of criticism that her government is failing to provide sufficient information about its thinking on leaving the European Union, Theresa May has published a white paper, setting out the plan. The Conversation UK asked a group of academics to rifle through the 77 pages to pick out the important details.
The kick-off for a mature Brexit debate
Professor Richard Whitman, director of the Global Europe Centre, University of Kent, and senior visiting fellow, Chatham House
The Brexit white paper is the most detailed statement yet of the government’s position on its future relationship with the EU. Some parts are cut and paste from May’s speech on January 17 but there is also much that is new in the 70-plus pages and it provides insight into the government’s thinking on what would be the ideal future relationship with the EU.
Three main themes stand out. First, the government has no blueprint for the future relationship with the EU. There are 12 areas in which it wants to reach agreement (these were bullet-pointed in the PM’s speech) but the overall form and shape of the ideal future relationship is difficult to grasp. The UK is not looking for one of the existing relationships that the EU has with a third country (such as the Norway, Switzerland, Turkey or Canada models). It instead wants a bespoke future relationship to cover issues not just of trade but also of societal and security relationships.
Second, the government accepts that there needs to be a mechanism in place to deal with future disputes between the EU and the UK. This features near the top of the white paper, signalling to negotiating partners in the EU that this is a linchpin to the UK’s view of an amicable settlement. It highlights that the UK is looking for a frictionless transition from a member state to a non-member state relationship.
Third, Brexit is clearly a two-union problem. There is not just the relationship with the European Union to be negotiated but also the Union of the United Kingdom to be re-calibrated. As devolution had not taken place when the UK joined the EU in 1973 the repatriation of powers from Brussels throws up a set of issues that need to be resolved with the devolved governments and administrations. The white paper raises more questions in this area than it answers.
In Brussels and other member state capitals, the white paper will be closely examined for the detail it provides on the UK’s negotiating stance for exiting the EU. In the UK, both inside and outside parliament, it provides the basis for a more substantive phase in the Brexit debate. The UK government’s thinking can now be more properly scrutinised, costed – and contested.
For further analysis by the other contributors click here.