Tim Boswell

The government has substantially squandered the trust people were willing to grant it over the management of Covid-19 and are in danger of losing further trust if they fail to deliver an effective Brexit deal and trade deal, new academic research shows.

Last week saw the collision of two big subplots in the story of the UK’s exit from the EU: the Irish border and Democrats making public statements on a US trade deal. The connection between the two may not be obvious to everyone, so it is worth pausing to take stock. The Irish issue was scarcely mentioned during the 2016 campaign, reflecting blithe confidence that it could surely be sorted out easily. It roared to centre-stage, however, during subsequent negotiations.

Where does Brexit take us next? This government is on course to deliver the key goals that underpinned the commitment to take back control. But the force of the Brexit revolution is by no means spent. While the UK has reclaimed sovereignty, what that means for the future of this country remains far from clear. We don’t know yet whether we will get a trade deal at the end of this year or not. Despite that, we know a lot about the broad nature of our future relationship with the EU.