{"id":14239,"date":"2018-11-27T09:51:16","date_gmt":"2018-11-27T09:51:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/readyforbrexit.co.uk\/?p=14239"},"modified":"2019-08-06T21:21:38","modified_gmt":"2019-08-06T20:21:38","slug":"a-to-z-guide-to-brexit-negotiations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/readyforbrexit.co.uk\/a-to-z-guide-to-brexit-negotiations\/","title":{"rendered":"A to Z guide to Brexit negotiations"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1543323633435{margin-bottom: 30px !important;}&#8221; el_class=&#8221;a-z&#8221;][vc_column width=&#8221;3\/4&#8243;][vc_column_text el_class=&#8221;post-main&#8221;]<\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 768px;\" class=\"wp-video\"><!--[if lt IE 9]><script>document.createElement('video');<\/script><![endif]-->\n<video class=\"wp-video-shortcode\" id=\"video-14239-1\" width=\"768\" height=\"430\" poster=\"https:\/\/readyforbrexit.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/BBC-News-At-One-15112018-Paul-Hodges.jpg\" preload=\"metadata\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"video\/mp4\" src=\"https:\/\/readyforbrexit.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/BBC-News-At-One-Brexit-Paul-Hodges-15-11-2018.mp4?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/readyforbrexit.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/BBC-News-At-One-Brexit-Paul-Hodges-15-11-2018.mp4\">https:\/\/readyforbrexit.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/BBC-News-At-One-Brexit-Paul-Hodges-15-11-2018.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>\u201cThe UK is now facing a national crisis\u201d, according to Margaret Thatcher\u2019s former Defence Secretary, Michael Portillo.<\/h2>\n<p>In November, Prime Minister Theresa May unveiled her draft\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/commission\/files\/draft-agreement-withdrawal-united-kingdom-great-britain-and-northern-ireland-european-union-and-european-atomic-energy-community-agreed-negotiators-level-14-november-2018_en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Withdrawal Agreement<\/a>\u00a0with the EU27. Within a few hours, another five Ministers had resigned including her Brexit Secretary. Over the summer, she had already lost her previous Brexit Secretary and her Foreign Secretary, plus other Ministers.<\/p>\n<p>Businesses are far too complacent about the risks of a No Deal Brexit, as our chairman, Paul Hodges, told <a href=\"https:\/\/readyforbrexit.co.uk\/about-us\/media-centre\/\">BBC News<\/a>:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf the deal went through Parliament, then we could be reassured that we had until the end of 2020 before anything happened. But looking at what\u2019s happened this morning, it seems less likely that\u2019s going to happen, and, therefore, the default position is that we leave without a deal on 31 October 2019. And that, I think, panics SMEs, small businesses, because if you don\u2019t know what\u2019s happening that\u2019s worse than almost anything else. &#8220;<\/p>\n<p><strong><img class=\"alignnone wp-image-14273 size-full lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/readyforbrexit.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Brexit-future-relationship.gif\" alt=\"A to Z guide to Brexit negotiations \u2013 Brexit future relationship\" width=\"800\" height=\"607\" \/><noscript><img class=\"alignnone wp-image-14273 size-full lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/readyforbrexit.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/Brexit-future-relationship.gif\" alt=\"A to Z guide to Brexit negotiations \u2013 Brexit future relationship\" width=\"800\" height=\"607\" \/><\/noscript><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>The A to Z guide to Brexit Negotiations:<\/h3>\n<h3>A<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Article 50<\/strong>\u00a0of the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/publications.europa.eu\/resource\/cellar\/688a7a98-3110-4ffe-a6b3-8972d8445325.0007.01\/DOC_19\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Lisbon Treaty<\/a>\u00a0sets out the rules for leaving the European Union. As with most negotiations, it assumed the leaving country would present its proposals for the post-withdrawal period \u2013 which would then be finalised with the other members. The UK Cabinet, however, was split on the key issues, and so the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/news\/politics\/theresa-mays-brexit-letter-full-10120101\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">two year\u2019s notice<\/a>\u00a0was given on 29 March 2017 without any firm proposals being made for the future UK-EU27 relationship beyond seven\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/uk-politics-39143978\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">negotiating principles<\/a>\u00a0and the desire for a &#8216;close partnership.&#8217;<\/p>\n<h3>B<\/h3>\n<p><strong>&#8216;Brexit means Brexit&#8217;<\/strong>, has been the UK\u2019s core statement since\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/readyforbrexit.co.uk\/new-export-orders-fall-for-second-month-finds-purchasing-managers-index\/\">Article 50<\/a>\u00a0was tabled. But as we noted back in\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.new-normal.com\/economic-growth\/if-brexit-means-brexit-what-does-brexit-mean\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">September 2016<\/a>, Brexit can actually mean a variety of different outcomes \u2013 and they have very different implications as the chart above shows. At one extreme, the \u2018Norway model\u2019 is very similar to full EU membership, but with no say on EU decisions. Whereas the \u2018Canada model\u2019 is simply a free-trade agreement offering some access to the Single Market for goods, but less access for services (which are 80% of the UK economy). A \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/readyforbrexit.co.uk\/brexplainer\/\">No Deal Brexit<\/a>\u2019\u00a0means working under WTO rules with arbitrary tariffs and regulations.<\/p>\n<h3>C<\/h3>\n<p>The European<strong>\u00a0Commission<\/strong>\u00a0manages the day-to-day business of the\u00a0European Union on behalf of the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/data.consilium.europa.eu\/doc\/document\/XT-20004-2017-INIT\/en\/pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">European Council<\/a>, and is effectively its civil service. Its president is Jean-Claude Juncker and he appointed Michel Barnier to lead the Brexit negotiations. Barnier\u2019s first step, as\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/consilium.europa.eu\/media\/24173\/15-euco-statement.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">mandated by the Council<\/a>, was to agree within the EU 27 <em>&#8216;the overall positions and principles that the EU will pursue.&#8217;<\/em>\u00a0He understood that in any negotiation, the team that writes the drafts and controls the timescale usually has the upper hand. The UK\u2019s failure to finalise its own detailed objectives before tabling Article 50 meant it gave up this critical advantage.<\/p>\n<h3>D<\/h3>\n<p>The\u00a0<strong>Default date<\/strong>\u00a0for Brexit is 31 October 2019. It has also been agreed that if a Withdrawal Agreement is finalised, then a Transition Agreement could operate until 31 December 2020. Unfortunately, many people have, therefore, assumed that they can wait until 2020 before starting to plan for Brexit. But as the Commission warned in its <em>Guidelines for Brexit Negotiations<\/em> on 29 April 2017, &#8216;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.consilium.europa.eu\/en\/press\/press-releases\/2017\/04\/29\/euco-brexit-guidelines\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">nothing is agreed until everything is agreed<\/a>&#8216;. So No Deal also means no Transition Agreement.<\/p>\n<h3>E<\/h3>\n<p>The\u00a0<strong>European Union<\/strong>\u00a0is a treaty-based organisation of 28 countries. As its website\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/europa.eu\/european-union\/about-eu\/history_en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">notes<\/a>, it was\u00a0<em>&#8216;set up with the aim of ending the frequent and bloody wars between neighbours, which culminated in the Second World War.&#8217;<\/em>\u00a0The UK joined the original six members (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands) in 1973, along with Ireland and Denmark. Further expansions took place, especially after the end of the Cold War between the West and Russia. At the suggestion of then UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, it was agreed to establish a Single Market and Customs Union based on four key freedoms \u2013 free movement of goods, services, people and money \u2013 and this transformed trading relationships across the continent.<\/p>\n<h3>F<\/h3>\n<p>The\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nao.org.uk\/report\/exiting-the-v-settlement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Financial Settlement<\/strong><\/a> or \u2018divorce bill\u2019 is part of the Withdrawal Agreement and covers the costs of the programmes that the UK agreed to support during the period of its EU membership. Like most organisations, the EU operates on a pay-as-you-go basis and only charges member countries as and when bills actually come due. The UK calculates this to be between \u00a336 billion-\u00a339 billion (\u20ac40 billion-\u20ac44 billion), depending on the assumptions used.<\/p>\n<h3>G<\/h3>\n<p>The Labour Party want a\u00a0<strong>General Election<\/strong>\u00a0if the government fails to get\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/voices\/brexit-labour-party-jeremy-corbyn-general-election-vote-remain-leave-eu-manifesto-a8634111.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Parliament\u2019s approval<\/a>\u00a0for its proposed Withdrawal Agreement. But there is considerable uncertainty about what might happen next, if Labour won the election. Some suggest Labour could renegotiate the deal, others that there could be a second referendum. Either option would mean a new government asking the EU to \u2018stop the clock\u2019 on Article 50. As a result, support is rising for the idea of a &#8216;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/People's_Vote\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">People&#8217;s Vote<\/a>&#8216;, or second referendum, as this might be more able to achieve all-party support. The\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/data.parliament.uk\/writtenevidence\/committeeevidence.svc\/evidencedocument\/exiting-the-european-union-committee\/the-progress-of-the-uks-negotiations-on-eu-withdrawal\/oral\/88890.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">European Parliament elections in May<\/a>\u00a0also complicate the picture as a referendum would apparently take\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/ukandeu.ac.uk\/how-and-when-might-a-second-referendum-on-brexit-come-about\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">22 weeks to organise.<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>H<\/h3>\n<p>A\u00a0<strong>Hostile No-Deal<\/strong>\u00a0would be the worst of all possible outcomes. Theresa May has warned\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/news.sky.com\/story\/theresa-may-says-uk-might-not-pay-brexit-divorce-bill-in-no-deal-scenario-11495906\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Parliament<\/a>\u00a0that &#8216;without a deal the position changes&#8217; on the \u00a339 billion Financial Settlement. She contradicts her Chancellor, Philip Hammond on this. We do not know what would happen if the UK refused to pay, but one fears it could lead to a Hostile No-Deal if the EU then reacted very negatively in terms of future co-operation.<\/p>\n<h3>I<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Ireland<\/strong>\u00a0has proved to be a key sticking-point in the negotiations, as nobody wants to disturb the peace created by the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/education.niassembly.gov.uk\/post_16\/snapshots_of_devolution\/gfa\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Good Friday Agreement<\/a>\u00a0in 1998. The issue is the potential need to reintroduce a border between Ireland and the North to secure the Single Market. The draft Withdrawal Agreement devotes a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.irishtimes.com\/news\/politics\/the-irish-chapter-of-the-draft-brexit-withdrawal-agreement-1.3697971\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">full section<\/a>\u00a0to this issue, which remains a potential deal-breaker due to Brexiter concerns about Northern Ireland remaining in the Single Market and the UK remaining in the Customs Union. This\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk\/explainers\/northern-ireland-ireland-protocol-brexit\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">expert Explainer<\/a>\u00a0from the impartial Institute for Government highlights the key issues.<\/p>\n<h3>J<\/h3>\n<p><strong>June 2016<\/strong>\u00a0was the date of the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/2016_United_Kingdom_European_Union_membership_referendum\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">referendum<\/a>\u00a0that voted to take the UK out of the EU.<\/p>\n<h3>K<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Keeping the UK<\/strong>\u00a0in &#8216;a single customs territory&#8217; with the EU after Brexit is a key feature of the so-called &#8216;temporary backstop arrangement&#8217; designed to avoid a hard border with Ireland. It is intended to operate until a full free-trade agreement is finalised between the UK and EU. It was\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.rte.ie\/news\/analysis-and-comment\/2018\/1117\/1011485-brexit\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the most difficult part of the negotiations,<\/a>\u00a0and has provoked the most resistance from Brexiters.<\/p>\n<h3>L<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/readyforbrexit.co.uk\/legal\/\"><strong>Legal issues<\/strong>\u00a0<\/a>are, of course, a critical area in the negotiations as the UK currently operates under the jurisdiction of the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk\/sites\/default\/files\/publications\/IfG_Brexit_ECJ_v10FINAL%20web.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">European Court of Justice\u00a0 (ECJ),<\/a>\u00a0and the UK wants to &#8216;take back control&#8217; to its own courts. The Withdrawal Agreement, however, confirms that the ECJ will have a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/uk-46214526\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">continuing role<\/a>\u00a0under the Transition Agreement and potentially afterwards, if the &#8216;backstop&#8217; is activated.<\/p>\n<h3>M<\/h3>\n<p>Tariffs on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/readyforbrexit.co.uk\/customs-tariffs\/materials-tariffs\/\"><strong>Materials\u00a0and goods<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0would be introduced between the UK and EU27 if there is a No-Deal Brexit. Less well understood is that the UK\u2019s trading terms would also change with countries outside the EU27, as the UK currently operates under more than\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/readyforbrexit.co.uk\/legal\/eu-free-trade-agreements-wto-and-gatt\/\">750 free-trade and trade-related agreements<\/a>\u00a0negotiated by the EU \u2013 and it is unlikely that the UK could continue to benefit from them.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><img class=\"alignnone wp-image-14274 size-full lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/readyforbrexit.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/How-goods-move-from-EU-to-UK.gif\" alt=\"A to Z guide to Brexit negotiations \u2013 How goods move from the EU to the UK\" width=\"683\" height=\"684\" \/><noscript><img class=\"alignnone wp-image-14274 size-full lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/readyforbrexit.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/How-goods-move-from-EU-to-UK.gif\" alt=\"A to Z guide to Brexit negotiations \u2013 How goods move from the EU to the UK\" width=\"683\" height=\"684\" \/><\/noscript><\/strong><\/p>\n<h3>N<\/h3>\n<p><strong>No Deal<\/strong>\u00a0means that the UK would have to operate under WTO rules after 31 October 2019. This short\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/readyforbrexit.co.uk\/brexplainer\/\">Ready for Brexit\u00a0video<\/a>\u00a0explains the complications this would create. The WTO has also warned that the number of Technical Barriers to Trade &#8216;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wto.org\/english\/tratop_e\/tbt_e\/tbt_info_e.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">has grown significantly<\/a>&#8216; in recent years, and these can often severely restrict trading opportunities. Plus, EU laws would still have a role under WTO rules for all UK products sold into the EU27 under No Deal. The\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/info\/brexit\/brexit-preparedness\/preparedness-notices_en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">EU Preparedness Notices<\/a>, for example, also suggest there could be a ban on UK banks providing\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/info\/sites\/info\/files\/file_import\/banking_services_en.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">financial services<\/a>, as well as a whole host of other restrictions including on travel.<\/p>\n<h3>P<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Preparing for Brexit<\/strong>. The <a href=\"https:\/\/readyforbrexit.co.uk\/about-us\/\">Ready for Brexit<\/a>\u00a0team has over 250 years\u2019 combined experience of importing and exporting, and we wanted to share this knowledge. Ready for Brexit is a subscription-based \u2018one-stop shop.\u2019 It provides a curated <a href=\"https:\/\/readyforbrexit.co.uk\/brexit-directory\/\">Directory<\/a> to the key areas associated with Brexit \u2013 Customs and Tariffs, Finance, Legal, Services and Employment, and Supply Chain. It includes <a href=\"https:\/\/readyforbrexit.co.uk\/brexlist-brexit-checklist\/\">Brexit Checklists<\/a>; a <a href=\"https:\/\/readyforbrexit.co.uk\/brexsure-brexit-audit\/\">BrexSure<\/a> self-audit tool to highlight key risks; a Brexit Negotiation Update section linking to all the key official UK and EU websites; a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/readyforbrexit.co.uk\/brexplainer\/\">Brexplainer<\/a> video on WTO Rules; plus <a href=\"https:\/\/readyforbrexit.co.uk\/brexit-news\/brexit-news-articles\/\">news<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/readyforbrexit.co.uk\/brexit-news\/brexit-news-interview\/\">interviews<\/a> with companies about their preparations for Brexit.<\/p>\n<h3>R<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Regulations\u00a0<\/strong>can often be a much greater barrier to trade than tariffs, as they set out the rules that apply when products and services are sold in an individual country. The EU never aimed to harmonise regulations across its member countries, as that would be an impossible task. Instead, it has focused on creating a Single Market via<a href=\"https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/growth\/single-market\/goods\/free-movement-sectors_en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u00a0mutual recognition<\/a>\u00a0of each other\u2019s standards, along with harmonised rules on cross-border areas, such as safety, health, and the environment. Regulations are particularly important in the financial services industry, and many businesses are now relocating relevant parts of their operations into the EU27 so that they can remain authorised to trade.<\/p>\n<h3>S<\/h3>\n<p>The<strong>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/European_Single_Market\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Single Market<\/a><\/strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong>seeks to guarantee the free movement of goods, services, people and money across the EU without any internal borders or other regulatory obstacles. It includes a Customs Union, as this short\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/av\/uk-46195799\/brexit-basics-the-customs-union-explained\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BBC video<\/a>\u00a0explains, which seeks to ensure that there are no Customs checks or charges when goods move across individual country borders. With a No-Deal Brexit, however, the UK will become a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/info\/publications\/preparing-withdrawal-united-kingdom-european-union-30-march-2019_en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Third Country<\/a>\u00a0and no longer benefit from these arrangements.<\/p>\n<h3>T<\/h3>\n<p>The\u00a0<strong>Transition Agreement\u00a0<\/strong>covers the period after 29 March, and would allow the UK to operate as if it were still in the EU until 31 December 2020 or possibly December 2022. The aim is to give negotiators more time to agree how future EU-UK trade in goods and services will operate, and provide guidance for businesses on how the new deal(s) will operate. But trade deals are very hard to do and generally take at least 5-7 years. The problem is that they create Winners and Losers whenever a market (large or small) is opened up to new foreign competition \u2013 and the incumbents usually complain. The Transition Agreement will only operate if there is a Withdrawal Agreement and so would not happen with a No-Deal Brexit.<\/p>\n<h3>U<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Unblocked, or frictionless trade<\/strong>, is a key aim of the negotiators. Nobody really wants to go back to the pre-1993 world, before the Single Market arrived, when vast numbers of forms had to be filled in and lorries\/ships sometimes stopped for hours for border checks. As Honda explained in the summer (see\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/8f46b0d4-77b6-11e8-8e67-1e1a0846c475\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">chart)<\/a>\u00a0it could easily take between 2-9 days to move goods between the EU27 and UK without a Customs Union, compared to between 5-24 hours today. The cost in terms of time and money would be enormous given that, as<a href=\"http:\/\/data.parliament.uk\/writtenevidence\/committeeevidence.svc\/evidencedocument\/treasury-committee\/the-uks-economic-relationship-with-the-european-union\/oral\/85521.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u00a0Eurotunnel<\/a>\u00a0told the Commons Treasury Committee in June, <em>&#8216;Over the past 20 years, warehouses have become trucks rolling on the road&#8217;<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>The draft\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/commission\/files\/draft-agreement-withdrawal-united-kingdom-great-britain-and-northern-ireland-european-union-and-european-atomic-energy-community-agreed-negotiators-level-14-november-2018_en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">585-page\u00a0Withdrawal Agreement<\/a>\u00a0has now been published along with the non-binding <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/publications\/draft-political-declaration-setting-out-the-framework-for-the-future-relationship-between-the-european-union-and-the-united-kingdom-agreed-at-negotia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Political Framework<\/a> this month and sets out the basis for the future UK-EU relationship after Brexit. The impartial Institute for Government has produced an\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk\/explainers\/draft-brexit-withdrawal-agreement-november\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">expert summary of its key points<\/a>.\u00a0But as the resignations have shown, the deal is contentious, with observers suggesting that\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/uk-politics-46242217\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">MPs may vote it down<\/a>\u00a0in Parliament next month.<\/p>\n<h3>Z<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Zig-zag<\/strong>\u00a0perhaps best describes the process that has led us to this point. It began long ago when\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Margaret_Thatcher\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Margaret Thatcher resigned in 1990<\/a>, as the catalyst was her position over European monetary union. Fast forward through many zigs and zags by both main political parties, and we finally reached June 2016 and the Brexit referendum.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/4&#8243;][vc_widget_sidebar sidebar_id=&#8221;cs-15&#8243; el_class=&#8221;ad-sidebar&#8221;][vc_column_text css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1533841720975{margin-bottom: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 5px !important;}&#8221; el_class=&#8221;news-sidebar-title&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h4><strong>RECENT NEWS<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/readyforbrexit.co.uk\/brexit-news\/brexit-editors-note\/\">EDITOR&#8217;S NOTE<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/readyforbrexit.co.uk\/brexit-news\/brexit-news-articles\/\">NEWS<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/readyforbrexit.co.uk\/brexit-news\/brexit-news-analysis\/\">ANALYSIS<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/readyforbrexit.co.uk\/brexit-news\/brexit-news-interview\/\">INTERVIEW<\/a>[\/vc_column_text][vc_basic_grid post_type=&#8221;post&#8221; max_items=&#8221;5&#8243; element_width=&#8221;12&#8243; gap=&#8221;0&#8243; item=&#8221;792&#8243; initial_loading_animation=&#8221;none&#8221; grid_id=&#8221;vc_gid:1565122855234-0dd363fd-9d0a-3&#8243; taxonomies=&#8221;96&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1543324879724{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row el_class=&#8221;footer-promo&#8221; el_id=&#8221;member-benefits&#8221;][vc_column css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1545417751339{padding-top: 0px !important;}&#8221;][vc_column_text css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1545411342158{margin-bottom: 10px !important;}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h3>SHARE<\/h3>\n<div class=\"et_social_inline et_social_mobile_on et_social_inline_top\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"et_social_networks et_social_autowidth et_social_slide et_social_circle et_social_left et_social_no_animation et_social_outer_dark\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"et_social_icons_container\"><li class=\"et_social_twitter\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=A%20to%20Z%20guide%20to%20Brexit%20negotiations&#038;url=https%3A%2F%2Freadyforbrexit.co.uk%2Fa-to-z-guide-to-brexit-negotiations%2F\" class=\"et_social_share\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-social_name=\"twitter\" data-post_id=\"14239\" data-social_type=\"share\" data-location=\"inline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i class=\"et_social_icon et_social_icon_twitter\"><\/i><span class=\"et_social_overlay\"><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li><li class=\"et_social_linkedin\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"http:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&#038;url=https%3A%2F%2Freadyforbrexit.co.uk%2Fa-to-z-guide-to-brexit-negotiations%2F&#038;title=A%20to%20Z%20guide%20to%20Brexit%20negotiations\" class=\"et_social_share\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-social_name=\"linkedin\" data-post_id=\"14239\" data-social_type=\"share\" data-location=\"inline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i class=\"et_social_icon et_social_icon_linkedin\"><\/i><span class=\"et_social_overlay\"><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li><li class=\"et_social_facebook\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Freadyforbrexit.co.uk%2Fa-to-z-guide-to-brexit-negotiations%2F&#038;t=A%20to%20Z%20guide%20to%20Brexit%20negotiations\" class=\"et_social_share\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-social_name=\"facebook\" data-post_id=\"14239\" data-social_type=\"share\" data-location=\"inline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i class=\"et_social_icon et_social_icon_facebook\"><\/i><span class=\"et_social_overlay\"><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li><li class=\"et_social_all_button\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"#\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-location=\"inline\" data-page_id=\"14239\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/readyforbrexit.co.uk\/a-to-z-guide-to-brexit-negotiations\/\" data-title=\"A to Z guide to Brexit negotiations\" class=\"et_social_open_all\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i class=\"et_social_icon et_social_icon_all_button\"><\/i>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"et_social_overlay\"><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li><\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row el_class=&#8221;footer-promo&#8221;][vc_column][vc_widget_sidebar sidebar_id=&#8221;cs-23&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row el_class=&#8221;footer-cta&#8221;][vc_column][vc_widget_sidebar sidebar_id=&#8221;cs-24&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1543323633435{margin-bottom: 30px !important;}&#8221; el_class=&#8221;a-z&#8221;][vc_column width=&#8221;3\/4&#8243;][vc_column_text el_class=&#8221;post-main&#8221;] &nbsp; \u201cThe UK is now facing a national crisis\u201d, according to Margaret Thatcher\u2019s former Defence Secretary, Michael Portillo. In November, Prime Minister Theresa May unveiled her draft\u00a0Withdrawal Agreement\u00a0with the EU27. Within a few hours, another five Ministers had resigned including her Brexit Secretary. Over the summer, she had [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":0},"categories":[114],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v15.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>A to Z guide to Brexit Negotiations from the Ready for Brexit team<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Our A to Z guide to Brexit Negotiations will get you up to speed with Brexit developments and what they may mean to your business and your investments\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/readyforbrexit.co.uk\/a-to-z-guide-to-brexit-negotiations\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta 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