By Derek Baldwin
Chief Reporter
Dubai: Britain’s exit from the European Union may be a window of opportunity to recalibrate UAE and Great Britain ties to boost trade flows and industry alliances, a panel debate heard in Dubai.
The suggestion was lobbed from the floor of more than 120 people attending a Capital Club debate at the Dubai International Financial Centre convened on Sunday evening to discuss next steps in wake of the ‘Leave’ referendum victory.
Voters cast their ballots 52-48 per cent in favour of extricating the UK from the European Union on June 23.
In the fallout, EU officials are demanding a quick divorce from the UK sooner rather than later amid financial uncertainty as ‘Leave’ architects assure nervous global markets that the country will bolster bilateral trade with other countries once it unshackles itself from its 43-year EU membership.
Prime Minister David Cameron said a new prime minister to be appointed in October in his place will be tasked with triggering Article 50, a two-year timetable to navigate the UK’s departure from the EU.
Panellist Robert Tasker, vice-chairman of the Vote Leave UAE Branch, told members of the Capital Club that he was optimistic about a new unfettered way forward for the UK to regain its prominence as a global player.
There is no looking back following a clear vote to exit, he said.
“We have a fantastic opportunity to go out in the world and do something extraordinary,” Tasker said, adding the way ahead is to move forward after a long and bitter In-Out battle. “If we go back on that, what was the point in the first place.”
He discounted any notion of stepping back from the abyss amid calls by Scotland for a referendum to leave the UK in order for it to stay in the EU while a growing number of signatories approaches four million on a petition demanding Parliament weigh a second referendum.
Panellist Francis Matthew, Gulf News editor-at-large, acknowledged that “the UK leaving the EU is a body blow” but said he doesn’t believe the UK’s departure from the EU would mark any noticeable difference in the long-standing friendship between the UK and the UAE and Middle East and North Africa.
“The UK situation doesn’t change that much within the Mena region,” said Matthew, noting that the UK and UAE already hold high-level bilateral meetings every six months to shore up mutual interests. “The UK has been fairly bilateral in this way for some time.”
Matthew said priority steps lying immediately ahead are to maintain a strong relationship with the EU in future negotiations while major political parties need to shut out the “dangerous and racist group” Ukip.
Panellist Toby Simpson, managing director of Gulf Recruitment Group, said he doesn’t see the sense or likelihood of a second Brexit referendum.
He said the ship needs to be steadied amid plunging stocks and a beleaguered British pound but didn’t rule out a new government years down the road making another attempt to rejoin the EU.
“I would love to see a rainbow coalition of MPs to rejoin the European Union but I think it’s highly unlikely,” Simpson said.
