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Edie takes an in-depth look at the things we already know about Brexit that will shape the future for the green business community
After months of seemingly endless speculation regarding when, and indeed if, the wheels would be put in motion to begin Brexit discussions, Prime Minister Theresa May has today (29 March) signed the letter which will give official notice of the UK’s intentions to leave the EU. It will be delivered to European Council President Donald Tusk at 12:20pm by the British ambassador to the EU, Sir Tim Barrow.
May’s promise to “get the right deal for every single person in this country” will give hope to environmental and sustainability professionals that negotiations will protect their own interests. However, with the prospect of a two-year long intense dispute with Brussels over trade deals and economic arrangements leading up to the UK’s probable exit in 2019, the greatest likelihood is that sustainability issues will be placed on the back-burner.
But, as WWF’s director of advocacy Trevor Hutchings puts it, “now that the starting pistol has been fired, the UK Government must make sure that the environment is not left behind, and make good its promise to leave nature in a better state than it inherited it”. Hutchings’ views are supported decisively by ClientEarth chief executive James Thornton, who insists the UK “must get the best deal from the EU because a poor Brexit deal would be catastrophic for the environment”.
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