Memo Outlines Brexit Chaos In May's Government
A report prepared by the consulting firm Deloitte about the plans for Brexit has created even more chaos for Theresa May’s government. The report highlights the belief that the complexity of any kind of Brexit agreement may require an additional 30,000 civil servants to handle the over 500 Brexit-related projects. The more damaging parts of the report state that the government really has no plan for Brexit, as May’s senior advisers are split on how to move forward. It accused May of being a kind of control freak and trying to keep all the decisions for herself which is also contributing to the lack of a plan. It also claims that May and her government are primarily focused on maintaining the Conservative party in power rather than any economic and business considerations. In fact, the report states the business community has come to two realizations, “first, that the Government’s priority remains its political survival, not the economy. Second, that there will be no clear economic-Brexit strategy any time soon because it is being developed on a case-by-case basis as specific decisions are forced Government…The public stance of Government is oriented primarily to its own supporters, with industry in particular barely being on the radar screen – yet.”
A government spokesman has denied that the report was commissioned either by or for the government, which contradicted other sources. It is possible that Deloitte prepared the memo internally and/or provided it to the government as it explored business opportunities related to Brexit, especially in providing some of those 30,000 civil servants the report says are needed. Whether the report was commissioned by the government or not, it clearly represents a pretty informed and frank analysis of the current situation regarding Brexit.
The current chaos in Theresa May’s government may portend what we also might see from the early Trump administration. Just like the “leave” campaigners, the Trump campaign ran largely on promoting falsehoods and fanning racism and apparently a belief that they really would not win. When the unthinkable happened, it seems clear that they are totally unprepared to lead and struggle to find a way to reconcile the false promises made during the campaign with actual governance.