So the UK was already faced with a gap of at least three years, and more likely longer than that, between when it left the EU and had a new trade regime in place, particularly with its most important trading partners on the Continent.
But the BBC interview with the EU’s most senior trade official reveals it’s even worse than that. The negotiations of the UK’s departure from the EU and new EU trade arrangements cannot take place in parallel. They must be sequential. No new deal talks with the EU until the exit is completed.
And the EU Trade Commissioner, Cecilia Malmstrom, also said the closest analogue was the negotiations with Canada (and recall that Canada is held out as one of the models for a post-Brexit relationship), took seven years to negotiate and will take an additional one or two years to ratify.
AND the thing everyone keeps forgetting is that the European Commission is currently busy.
One of the complaints the Brits had about the EC was the glacial pace. Well, that's because they are doing an enormous number of things already.
And what priority are they going to give renegotiating trade deals with a rogue state that split away from their union?
And, when pressed to accelerate the renegotiation of contracts and terms with Britain, which member states' current business will be put aside to make room in the schedule?
Is the EC really going to tell Spain and Greece and Hungary and France that the legislation they are waiting for is going to be delayed for another 5 years because we have to deal with breaking up with Britain?
Yeah, right. That ain't gonna happen. That would just accelerate the defection of other member states. "WHAT?!? You are dealing with that bunch of splitters first, instead of dealing with Member State issues first?!?"
That's just not gonna happen.
Britain is fucked.