Perspectives

Theresa May has made several speeches on Brexit (probably more than even she imagined), and since this particular speech of 17 January 2017, there has been a lot of developments in the Brexit process. Here we have highlighted a couple of events for you so you will be able to put the speech into perspective like a pro.

Consequences for May's support base

Since this speech was delivered, the Brexit process has turned out to be a bumpy ride which has already had various consequences for several areas and parties. One of the consequences has been that Theresa May continues to have numerous problems with her support base at home - her fellow politicians as well as the population in general. In 2018, her Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, and her “Brexit minister”, David Davis, both resigned due to disagreement with May over Brexit, which meant that May took over negotiations herself. The Prime Minister has continually been criticised by hardliner "Brexiteers" for being too weak and compromising in the negotiations with the EU. 

On top of that, polls indicate that the British population currently seem to be losing faith in May’s ability to bring about a good deal. Interestingly, polls also show that some people have changed their minds about EU membership: If there were to be another referendum today, the outcome would seemingly be a Remain victory. Because of this, some in Britain are actively working to halt the Brexit process, arguing that there ought to be another referendum on EU membership, just as some argue that Article 50 (the decision to leave the EU) should be withdrawn all together.

The distrust in May kept growing as she again and again failed to push her Brexit deal through the British Parliament, which finally led to announce that she would resign on June 7 2019, though she remained acting Prime Minister for a little while longer. On July 24 2019, she was succeeded by Boris Johnson.

Generally, the three other nations of the United Kingdom were not as keen on Brexit as England was. As of June 2018, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is preparing plans for another referendum on Scottish independence...