What is a no deal Brexit, how will it affect life and is it different to no Withdrawal Agreement?
Withdrawal Agreement #WithdrawalAgreement
B
rexit negotiations remain on a knife edge as UK and EU leaders scramble to secure an eleventh hour deal.
However, the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier is said to have given a “downbeat” and “gloomy” assessment of progress during a briefing with the 27 member states’ ambassadors earlier in the day.
So with optimism around an agreement growing ever dimmer, what exactly would a no-deal Brexit look like? And what would it mean for the British public?
Firstly, what’s the difference between the Brexit deal and the Withdrawal Agreement?
The Withdrawal Agreement was passed on January 31, 2020, marking the UK’s formal exit from the EU.
A transition period was created for both sides to work out the rules of their new relationship – it is this that will come to an end on December 31.
Both sides have been trying to secure the terms of Britain’s future relationship with the Bloc: the elusive Brexit deal.
Brexit Day at Parliament Square – In pictures
Anti-Brexit protesters in Parliament Square, London
PA
Police presence at anti-Brexit protests in Parliament Square, London
PA
The Winston Churchill statue and Union flags in Parliament Square, London
PA
Pro Brexit supporters hold placards at Parliament Square as people prepare for Brexit
Getty Images
A man carries an EU themed wreath at Parliament Square
Reuters
Anti-Brexit demonstrators in Parliament Square, London, ahead of the UK leaving the European Union
PA
Pro Brexit supporters hold placards at Parliament Square as people prepare for Brexit
Getty Images
A man wears a President, Donald Trump mask and holds an American flag at Parliament Square as people prepare for Brexit
Getty Images
People hold placards in Parliament Square opposite the Houses of Parliament in London
AFP via Getty Images
A man holds up a President, Donald Trump, American flag at Parliament Square as people prepare for Brexit
Getty Images
A Red Viking apple with the Union Jack is displayed and given out for free to promote British produce as an Anti-Brexit demonstrator waves the European Union flag in Parliament Square
AP
Joseph Afrane in Westminster
Jeremy Selwyn
Pro-EU anti-Brexit protesters hold placards in Parliament Square
AFP via Getty Images
A man takes a photo of political artist Kaya Mar’s paintings in Parliament Square
Getty Images
A man in an oversized ‘Keep America Great’ hat and draped with a US flag holds a Union Flag in Parliament Square opposite the Houses of Parliament
AFP via Getty Images
A woman holds a newspaper at Parliament Square
Reuters
A woman wears a face mask in Parliament Square
PA
What’s no deal and what impact would it have on daily life?
A no deal would take a number of key forms:
Tariffs and quotas
A no-deal would mean that at the end of the Brexit transition period the UK would crash out of the single market and the customs union and default to World Trade Organisation (WTO) terms.
This means that from January 1, 2021, Britain would have to apply tariffs and quotas to goods entering the country from the EU, and the EU would apply its “third-country” levies to the UK.
This would see the UK slapped with greater taxes for trying to sell products to the EU.
Medicines are not subject to tariffs under WTO rules, but there could still be significant delays to shipments.
Related
Borders and customs
The EU will begin imposing border checks on UK products from January 1, 2021 if a deal is not reached.
The Government has admitted that long queues and persistent delays are likely to last six months or longer at key border crossings in the event of a no-deal.
HMRC estimates suggest British businesses could spend an extra £15 billion a year on paperwork in the event of a no deal, according to the Financial Times.
Holidays and living abroad
Britons travelling to the EU will not need a visa for stays of up to 90 days out of any 180-day period.
However, a visa may be required for longer stays or for work or study.
Mobile roaming charges
A no-deal could mean an end to automatic free roaming for Brits travelling in the EU so you could be charged while using your phone across its member states.
However, UK and EU operators could reach bilateral deals to prevent roaming charges.
Brexit briefing: 24 days until the end of the transition period
Anything else?
Yes. A lot. Some of the other key areas that would be affected by a no-deal are:
– International data sharing and security;
– Access to fishing waters;
– Aviation standards and safety;
– Licensing and regulation of medicines.
Is there anything I need to do by December 31?
The Government is urging the public to prepare for the end of the transition period by following its “Check, Change, Go” slogan.
A questionnaire on the dedicated gov.uk website is designed to offer tailored advice on how to prepare for the looming deadline.
“For individuals this may include registering your residency rights,” it states.
Meanwhile businesses are encouraged to start “preparing for a new approach to trade with our partners in the European Union.”
Related
So what’s going to happen at the end of the transition period?
If there is a deal, it will have to have been approved by both Houses of Parliament in the UK and by the European parliament, although there may be just a bit of wriggle room.
EU law would allow the provisional application of the agreement from January 1, provided it has been signed off by leaders.
Meanwhile in Britain, ministers have suggested “you can always find more time” as long as the fundamental issues have been resolved.