•Main political events in a nutshellLike 2016, 2017 had been a turbulent year for UK politics. There was little doubt at the start of the year that Brexit was going to be the dominant political story in 2017. Brexit took an ever more prominent role after Prime Minister Theresa May triggered Article 50 on 28 March 2017 of the Lisbon Treaty henceforth officially kick starting the process....
•Main political events in a nutshell
Like 2016, 2017 had been a turbulent year for UK politics. There was little doubt at the start of the year that Brexit was going to be the dominant political story in 2017. Brexit took an ever more prominent role after Prime Minister Theresa May triggered Article 50 on 28 March 2017 of the Lisbon Treaty henceforth officially kick starting the process. First round of negotiations took place in 2017. Despite 7 rounds of talks, little progress has been made in significant areas such as trade deals and the Irish border issue.
Amidst all the developments taking place in relation to Brexit, Mrs May decided to announce a snap General Election in April 2017, which came as a surprise to many. As a result, Mrs May's Conservative party lost its privilege to govern independently and was forced to seek an alliance with the Northern Irish Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), a regional party, much to the dismay of many voters.
Aside from Brexit developments and the aftermath of the General Election, UK politics in 2017 saw a string of sexual harassment allegations come to light. This article looks into some of the grave accusations made against several MPs which saw many important political personalities resign from their post, and assesses the impact of these resignations.
Last but not the least, the article explores the ties between the UK and two of its allies; the US and India. Post Brexit, it will be important for the UK to establish strong relations with both of these countries. The article notes the developments which took place between the UK and US, and UK and India in 2017, and assesses whether these countries could be potential partners for the UK in 2018.
•Brexit – Road until now
The road leading to Brexit was rocky from the start. Gina Miller, a British-Guyanese business owner (with a degree of Indian heritage), brought forward a court case against the British government over its authority to implement Brexit without approval from Parliament. On 24 January 2017, the UK Supreme Court dismissed the government's argument that it had the power to initiate official Brexit negotiations without Parliament's authority. The Supreme Court also ruled that law would have to be passed to authorise triggering Article 50, although the precise form such legislation should take was "entirely a matter" for Parliament. The decision indicated Theresa May's wavering authority and demonstrated the challenges faced by the government from the start.
- Article 50 triggered
While the UK had voted to leave the EU, the government was unable to kick start any negotiations until Article 50 had been triggered. On 28 March 2017, Theresa May formally signed the letter invoking Article 50, marking the beginning of a two year countdown of the UK exiting the EU. This time frame can only be extended by unanimous agreement from all 27 EU countries. Camino Mortera-Martinez, a research fellow at the Centre for European Reform (CER) suggests that "the triggering of Article 50 will mark two years of tough negotiations." Ms Martinez is right to be pessimistic. Firstly, UK is the first country to exit from the EU since its creation and in this regard, there are no current precedents for either party to follow. Secondly, the manner in which the UK departed from the EU together with the Eurosceptic attitude of many British politicians has resulted in persisting animosity between both parties from the beginning. President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker warned earlier in the year that post Brexit, the UK will have to pay "a hefty bill". Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern echoed Mr Juncker's sentiments and suggested that the UK should be charged Euros 60 billion. These opinions did not offer a promising start to the negotiations.
- Great European Union (Withdrawal) Bill
Shortly after triggering Article 50, a white paper was published on 30 March 2017 stating the main objectives for the proposed Great European Union (Withdrawal) Bill, also known as the Repeal Bill or the Great Repeal Bill, This bill, as promised by Theresa May, proposes to implement the UK's exit from the EU by repealing the European Communities Act 1972 which integrated the UK and EU. The Repeal Bill is seen as tool to smooth the transition by ensuring that all laws remain in force until specifically repealed. The Bill was introduced to the House of Commons on 13 July 2017 by David Davis, the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union. As a government bill, the First Reading was pro forma, with the first debate taking place on the Second Reading. The second reading was passed 12 September 2017, and the Report Stage and Third Reading are scheduled for Tuesday 16 and Wednesday 17 January 2018.
- Brexit negotiations
7 rounds of phase 1 Brexit negotiations have taken place to date.
i)First round: 19 June 2017
ii)Second round: 17 July to 20 July 2017
iii)Third round: 28 August 2017 to 31 August 2017
iv)Fourth round: 7 September 2017
v)Fifth round: 9 October 2017 to 12 October 2017
vi)Sixth round: 9 November 2017 and 10 November 2017
vii)Seventh round: 4 December 2017
During the course of the negotiations, the parties agreed on four primary topics of focus: citizens' rights, financial settlement (popularly called ''divorce payment''), the future of land border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, and "other separation issues". As Ms Martinez predicted, the negotiations got off to a difficult start with the parties disagreeing on issues such as the role of the European Court of Justice in enforcing citizens' rights, and the extent of the UK's financial obligations. During the third round of negotiations, chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier commented that "we [EU] are far from being able to recommend to the European Council that there has been sufficient progress in order to start discussions on the future relationship."
By the fourth round of talks in September, some progress was made as the UK accepted the EU's definition of 'citizens lawfully resident before the cutoff date'. Although the precise date was not agreed, both parties agreed on the definitions of permanent and temporary residence. In spite of progress in some areas, the issue of financial settlement remained to be resolved. Finally, a breakthrough in respect of the troublesome divorce bill came at the end of November 2017. According to a senior EU official, "the UK wants to come along with the money", which "covers the liabilities and what we [EU] consider the real commitments." The bill is said to total £53bn to £58bn (€60bn to €65bn), although EU officials have not discussed numbers and thus this figure is merely speculative.
While there have been relative progress on the issues of divorce bill and citizens' rights, issues surrounding the Irish border remain open. The UK government is reluctant for Northern Ireland to stay in the single market and customs union, much to the bemusement of Michel Barnier. The Irish issue has become more complex following the government's alliance with the DUP. For instance, the UK-EU meeting in December had to be abandoned due to the DUP's objections to arrangements for the Irish border, which was encouraged by the government of Republic of Ireland. Since the DUP's sole focus is Northern Irish interests, it is likely that they will seek to play an active role in any Irish border issues. This may leave the Irish border as the most uncertain issue waiting to be resolved and obstruct any significant progress. To move forward with the negotiations, it is important for both parties to make headway with this issue. The international border between Northern Ireland, an UK and the Republic of Ireland, an independent EU country, is approximately 310 miles long with nearly 275 crossing points. The economies of Northern Ireland and the Republic are completely interconnected. Large volume of goods and services cross the border every day without checks and nearly 30,000 people cross the border for employment purpose. Moreover, the 1998 Good Friday Agreement removed security checkpoints from the border thus removing barriers between the two countries. Customs checks could undermine the progress made and create divisions. So, how the borders will be regulated post-Brexit is a contentious matter.
•Shock snap General Election
Brexit was not the only significant political event of 2017. On 18 April 2017, Theresa May announced that a snap General Election was to be held on 8 June 2017. Mrs May, a de facto leader, was hoping a Conservative win would project a "strong and stable" UK government and strengthen Mrs May's position when it came to Brexit negotiations. The election, which was to be held a week before the first round of Brexit negotiations, came a shock to many and proved Mrs May's nemesiss. Many people were concerned of the impact of the results on Brexit negotiations.
Needless to say, Brexit was one of the main points in the parties' manifesto. While the Conservatives pledged to take the UK out of the single market and customs union, the main opposition party, Labour, were seeking to scrap the Conservatives' Brexit White Paper and replace it with fresh negotiating priorities, which would have a strong emphasis on both the single market and customs union. Aside from Brexit, the parties focused on other issues such the National Health Service, immigration, housing and education. After nearly two months of campaigning, the election resulted in the Conservatives losing the privilege of a majority government and having to form an alliance with the DUP. The election did not lead to a "strong and stable" Britain as Mrs May had hoped; instead, it left the nation with a fragmented government.
•Scandalous behaviour of the MPs
2017 saw the UK grapple with a series of political scandals. In October 2017, a dossier detailing alleged sexual harassment by Conservative MPs was circulated in Westminster. The document outlined allegations of inappropriate behavior by senior figures in Theresa May's government. The document also asserted that the accused MPs have attempted to conceal these allegations. 1 November 2017, Defence Secretary and a key member of the Conservative Party Sir Michael Fallon resigned saying his behaviour may have "fallen short". Mr Fallon conceded that his behaviour fell below the standard required by the Armed Forces, which he represents. Mr Fallon faced a number of allegations including that he made unwanted advances towards a female journalist nearly 15 years ago.
Mr Fallon is not the only Conservative MP who has been accused of such behaviour. Stephen Crabb, the former Secretary of State for Work and Pensions admitted sending sexually suggestive text messages to a young woman he had interviewed for a position in his parliamentary office. Mark Garnier, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for International Trade, admitted on 29 October 2017, to using a derogatory word while referring to his assistant. More recently, First Secretary of State and Minister for the Cabinet Office and the de-facto Deputy Prime Minister, Damian Green, was instructed to resign after he failed to disclose that he viewed pornography on a work computer and was accused of sending suggestive text messages and "fleetingly" touching the knee of a young Conservative activist.
The Labour Party also faced its fair share of controversy in relation to this scandal. Bex Bailey, a Labour Party activist and a former member of Labour's National Executive Committee, informed that she was raped when she was 19 years old, by an individual who was senior to her in the Labour Party. After Ms Bailey described the rape and subsequent events in an interview on 31 October 2017, the Labour Party announced an independent investigation into her allegations. Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the Labour Party insisted that "there will be no tolerance in the Labour Party for sexism, harassment or abuse."
While the strings of sexual harassment allegations left the country in shock, they have also started a powerful movement. These incidents have paved way for victims of sexual abuse to come forward and voice their stories. Significantly, these allegations have also sought to put an emphasis on the notion of 'abuse of power'; politicians, just like ordinary individuals, are not above the law and must be held responsible for their actions.
•UK-US relationship in turmoil?
With the second phase of Brexit negotiations expected to take place this year, there will never be a dull moment in British politics. Aside from Brexit, it will be interesting to keep a track of UK's relationship with the US. Donald Trump, an advocator of Brexit, had emphasised on establishing a "special relationship" with the UK post Brexit. We were also graced with the image of Theresa May and Trump holding hands during Mrs May's visit to the White House in January 2017, which conveyed a message of strong friendship. However, the "special relationship" started to sour towards the end of the year. In November 2017, Mrs May criticised the US president for retweeting anti-Muslim images. Trump hit back at Mrs May and asked her to "focus on the destructive Radical Islamic Terrorism that is taking place within the United Kingdom." The situation between Mrs May and Trump highlights a far less idyllic relationship to what was portrayed at the beginning of the year.
The President is expected to visit the UK in January 2018. Despite this incident, Mrs May's spokesman has confirmed that "an invitation for a state visit has been extended and accepted and further details will be announced in due course." If the President's visit takes place, it will be interesting to analyse the dynamics between the two leaders. Post Brexit, much emphasis was placed on the UK-US "special relationship." With cracks beginning to appear within the two countries, there will be anticipation surrounding this significant state visit.
•India - UK relations
There was no significant development in India-UK relationship at the political level. International Trade Minister Liam Fox visited India, as did the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan. But these visits did not result in any concrete trade assurances as India is currently finalizing its Free Trade Agreement with the EU. Trade negotiations with the EU are important to India because India-EU trade is currently at the level of Euros 105 billion. India saw the UK as a gateway to Europe. This along with the cultural ties between both nations made the UK an attractive destination for investment purposes. Once the UK leaves the EU, it is natural for India to look elsewhere and strike relations with other EU countries. In March 2017, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited various European nations including Germany, where he engaged in trade talks with the German chancellor Angela Merkel. During Mr Modi's visit, Germany and India struck eight agreements. It is worth noting that the Mr Modi did not attempt to visit the UK post Brexit. This is not welcoming news for the UK. Much of Brexit propaganda played on the idea that once the UK leaves the EU, it will be free to strike independent deals with countries such as India, with which it shares deep cultural ties. It will be interesting to see whether India reaches out to the UK in 2018, or if it stays committed to strengthening its ties with the EU.
Last but not the least, Indian origin UK International Development Minister Priti Patel was forced to resign from the cabinet because of her 'secret' visit to Israel! Quite an interesting 2017 indeed.
Disclaimer
– The views expressed in this article are the personal views of the author and are purely informative in nature.