Concerning the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union, there are views that the chances of a no-deal Brexit will remain even if the Conservatives win the Dec. 12 general election.
Even after the Brexit deal agreed on between British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the EU is approved by Parliament and takes effect Jan. 31, the theories go, the talks for a free trade pact that will define future relations between Britain and the EU will need to be concluded by the end of the transition period through the end of 2020. In the case they fail to do so, the U.K. and the EU will face January 2021 without an accord that define their trade relations, creating a state of no-deal Brexit.
The Financial Times on Nov. 22 noted that while Johnson and Phil Hogan, the EU's new trade commissioner, believe the negotiations next year will not require much time because Britain has been an EU member for 46 years, a senior official of the European Commission says the talks will be a difficult process for the U.K. since it has little experience in trade negotiations — and that other EU members will likely call on the commission to take a tough position toward Britain.