Opinion | Britain stuck with the consequences of bungled Brexit and coronavirus response

Name: UK unveils details of citizenship offer for Hongkongers with BN(O) passport holders
Uploaded: 2020-12-26T14:00:11.000Z
Duration: 3 min 14 s
Description: UK unveils details of citizenship offer for Hongkongers with BN(O) passport holders

Britain could have painlessly left the EU with deals like Norway’s and Switzerland’s, but the arrogance of its political class let fantasies flourish long after the referendum and set a high price for blinkered English nationalism

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A quiet day for the Eurostar terminal at St Pancras International station in London on December 23, as service from London to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam was suspended for at least 48 hours to try and control a new variant of coronavirus. The closures, a mere 10 days before Britain’s exit from the EU, was symbolic. Photo: Reuters

Philip Bowring

Published: 10:00pm, 26 Dec 2020Updated: 11:34pm, 26 Dec 2020

Disturbing though it was, the near closure to the world of the United Kingdom on December 21, a mere 10 days before its exit from the European Union, was symbolic. Some might even call it poetic justice.

The UK’s discovery of the mutation and increased velocity of Covid-19 has nothing directly to do with its departure from a group of 27 fellow European nations. However, it was a reminder of how vulnerable the UK now is, even assuming it survives as an entity given Scottish independence sentiments and Northern Ireland’s open border with the Republic.

There is likely to be some sort of deal before January 1, but even if free merchandise trade continues, the additional paperwork and uncertainties from exiting the single market will weigh heavily on exports, which were weakening conspicuously even before the pandemic. As for service exports and the freedom to travel and work, the loss will put the more successful UK firms, institutions such as its top universities and most talented individuals at a huge disadvantage.

As a Brit, I welcome the access now being offered to Hong Kong British National (Overseas) passport holders, but it is sad that they might never enjoy wider European opportunities.

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UK unveils details of citizenship offer for Hongkongers with BN(O) passport holders

As for the tens of thousands of British workers dependent on Japanese and other car export manufacturers, the future of investment and jobs remains clouded.