Brexit Spats with the EU – Britain’s New Christmas Tradition?
| DOI | 10.1177/20419058211066519 |
| Date | 01 December 2021 |
| Published date | 01 December 2021 |
DECEMBER 2021 • POLITICAL INSIGHT 25
Brexit Spats with the
EU – Britain’s New
Christmas Tradition?
Post-Brexit relations between the UK and the European Union have
been characterised by tensions and difficulties. Amelia Hadfield
and Christian Turner ask if spats between London and Brussels will
become a recurring feature.
The clocks have changed and the
nights are getting colder. Wham’s
Last Christmas
is already on
repeat on the radio and tubs of
chocolates are on sale on every supermarket
corner. And Britain and the EU are accusing
each other of acting in bad faith. It’s
beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
Brexit spats have been a Christmas feature
since 2017, when then Prime Minister
Theresa May agreed briey to the Northern
Ireland backstop, before increasing it to a
UK-wide provision. Last year, the drama of
Brexit ran on until Christmas Eve, when the
UK and EU struck an eleventh-hour trade
deal with seven days remaining within the
transition period. Prime Minister Johnson
heralded the agreement as a key moment,
allowing both sides to put the worst
behind them and move forward in a new
relationship.
Vac-spats
Throughout 2021, the reality of Britain’s
post-Brexit relations with the EU has proved
otherwise. January quickly brought a
number of small, almost comical tensions
as custom ocials across the EU began
enforcing the rules of the trade deal. In
one instance, a Dutch customs ocial
conscating the ham sandwiches of UK HGV
driver hit the headlines.
As COVID infections surged, vaccine
availability became a growing source of
EU-UK schisms, particularly over the UK’s
decision to pursue multiple vaccine options
in tackling the virus, and its central role
in funding the Oxford AstraZeneca (AZ)
vaccine. While Britain initially led Europe
© dpa / Alamy Stock Photo
Political Insight December 2021 BU.indd 25Political Insight December 2021 BU.indd 25 18/11/2021 14:2018/11/2021 14:20
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