“According to Khan, it is very clear that the exit has seriously damaged the British economy,” says Van Bekhoven. This, he says, is not new. “Many people think so. But no one says it out loud, at least not at the top political level.” According to Van Bekhoven, the mayor of London wants a debate on rapprochement with Brussels. ‘He wants a debate on Britain joining the single market. In fact he wants a super soft Brexit instead of a hard one that the British are now burdened with.’
Close relations with the EU
According to Van Bekhoven, two-thirds of Britons are not happy with Brexit. ‘60% believe leaving was a bad decision. But that doesn’t mean the British want to go back. After all, only a quarter are in favor of a new European membership. But the vast majority of Britons want to get rid of the hard Brexit and a closer relationship with the EU.’
According to the correspondent, everyone can see the extent of the economic damage caused by Brexit. The economy was not the main reason most Brexiters left the European club. But the government also knows that the economy is slowing at least 4% a year and will continue to do so. Year after year.’
Rishi Sunak
According to Van Bekhoven, we will hear nothing from British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The last thing the British government wants is to be reminded of Brexit. Sunak tries to bury his head in the sand, but Khan carefully tries to take the first steps to at least normalize the hostile relationship with Brussels. He’s definitely working on it.’