Post-Brexit snags and discontent a threat to trade opportunities

BREXIT opportunities are dwarfed by numerous difficulties, both for the UK and European Union (EU).

The nub of the problem is the lengthy Brexit process, which opens the door to public discontent and economic uncertainty. Divisions between "Brexitier" and "Remain" politicians are already wide. The media and public focus is only one year to Brexit on March 29, 2019. But the UK government has agreed to remain a member of the EU, without any say in policy, until the beginning of 2021. The process will thus drag on for almost five years after the June 2016 referendum. During that period, the expected compromise agreement is unlikely to satisfy those who voted to leave the EU, and those who wanted to remain. Polls already show that 56 per cent of respondents believe that government has done poorly in negotiations; only 28 per cent think it has done well,

British premier Theresa May promises that the "implementation" process between 2019 and 2021 will help businesses, investors and consumers, get used to Brexit. In practice, some complex negotiations could well continue, such as judicial decisions and the Irish border.