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At the end of the year, the UK will definitely leave the EU institutions. However, negotiations on future cooperation between London and the EU are stalled. At the same time as the threat of hard Brexit, the country is particularly affected by the corona pandemic. In view of the challenges in the fight against the virus, the British health service NHS now joins the Brexit discussion.
The health service has asked Prime Minister Boris Johnson to extend the Brexit transition period by one month. A one-month postponement will give the NHS time to move out of the “immediate danger zone,” he said in a letter from the top of the NHS, which was released Wednesday night. Because then the service could focus on fighting the pandemic without a no-deal Brexit that brings with it “disruptive changes.”
Britain will leave the EU internal market and customs union at the end of the year. If there is no longer a trade pact with the EU in the remaining days, there is a risk of higher tariffs and other trade barriers, which experts believe can also affect the supply of medicines and medical products. The NHS also fears that ambulances may not be able to reach patients in time due to truck jams, especially in the southeastern county of Kent in the English Channel, a hub for corona infections. So far, the Johnson administration has strictly refused to extend the transition phase.
“On January 1, the NHS will face the greatest challenge in its history, traditionally the busiest time of the year,” the letter continued. Almost 19,000 corona patients are currently being treated in UK clinics. Due to the rapid spread of a new variant of the virus, a further increase in infections is feared. The NHS leadership emphasizes that the workforce is tired and exhausted. “Shockwaves from a no-deal Brexit could overwhelm NHS capabilities.” That is why Johnson is urged “to extend the transition period by one month and buy a few precious additional weeks from the NHS,” the letter read.
British media consider a deal possible on Wednesday
Meanwhile, the British media are cautiously optimistic that Brussels and London can still agree on a joint deal. Brexit negotiations could reportedly conclude with a deal on Wednesday.
Political editor-in-chief Robert Peston of UK broadcaster ITV wrote on Twitter on Tuesday, “A British insider now says that tomorrow a trade deal between Britain and the EU is possible again.” An agreement was within our grasp, as it was believed that there was a movement in the fishing and sanctions late at night after another person familiar with the matter added.
