The Spectator: Theresa May Fights a War on Two Fronts - Any Mistakes Could Be Fatal

British voters approved leaving the European Union, by a margin of 52 to 48 percent. More than 55 percent of voters in Northern Ireland and 62 percent in Scotland voted to remain. British Prime Minister Theresa May will trigger Article 50 and the two-year process for EU exit soon. Actual costs and institutions to handle trade, travel, immigration and regulatory details are yet unknown. May must contend with negotiations with the EU as well as Scotland’s itch to try a second referendum for independence. And Scotland’s arguments mirror British complaints about the EU. Writing for the Spectator, James Forsyth describes how the political leaders respond to the arguments about leaving either union: “There will be an effort to portray ‘global Britain’ as an attractive, outward-looking country that the Scots should want to be part of. I’m told that the single market and free movement don’t hold much sway in Scottish focus groups, but the question of ‘What kind of country do we want to be?’ does.” The EU, by welcoming Scotland as a member, could bring another bargaining chip against Britain, and Forsyth concludes that May has no room for error. – YaleGlobal

The Spectator: Theresa May Fights a War on Two Fronts - Any Mistakes Could Be Fatal

The British prime minister finds herself in a political duel with Scotland’s Nicola Sturgeon that only one of them can survive
James Forsyth
Thursday, March 16, 2017

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James Forsyth is political editor of the Spectator.

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