Why Brexit breakthrough is only half the battle ahead

A NEW, potentially final, round of Brexit talks started on Monday, with a breakthrough still elusive. Yet, even if a deal is agreed before October's deadlines, a further major challenge could come from the ratification process.

Given that negotiations remain on a knife-edge, the ratification phase has not yet been explored in great detail by much of the media, despite the fact that it is a key, distinctive stage in what is the most complex peace-time dialogue ever undertaken by the two sides.

This is a significant oversight: for while the Brexit withdrawal deal, which facilitated the Untied Kingdom's departure in January from the European Union (EU), was ultimately ratified at relatively quick pace in late 2019 and early 2020, this may not necessarily be the case with any forthcoming agreement on the EU-UK trade relationship.