Following the validation of the Brexit bill approved by both the Houses of Commons and Lords by Queen Elizabeth on Thursday, British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, will mark the cut-off from the EU with the issuance of commemorative coins and the chairing of a special cabinet meeting in England’s pro-Brexit North.
“At times it felt like we would never cross the Brexit finish line, but we’ve done it,” Johnson said after he had gotten both houses of the British parliament to ratify the withdrawal bill on Wednesday.
He further stated that, “Now we can put the rancour and division of the past three years behind us and focus on delivering a bright, exciting future.” Some analysts have asserted that Boris Johnson is sacrificing the short term reality of a weaker United Kingdom economy to deliver on his promise of midwifing Brexit. The United Kingdom will now negotiate trade deals with countries individually, a journey it already started with the UK-Africa summit which had Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari in attendance.
Getting beneficial trade deals from ex-colonies like Nigeria might not pose a serious challenge, reason being that there are certain leverages made available by the UK export finance Scheme, which gives loans to importers in countries like Nigeria to buy UK made products. On the other hand, Britain is expected to find it hard to deal with the EU as it enters an unprepared economic relationship.