Theresa May’s 2018 resolution should be to look beyond Brexit

The last full year before Britain leaves the EU has been foretold by some as a time of increasingly desperate negotiation. According to this view the government is drifting towards an economically painful Brexit, so consumed by the whole sorry business that it is unable to address any of the country’s other problems. Yet there is no reason why 2018 should turn out this way, and every reason to hope that it will prove to be the year when the Conservatives finally emerge from the tumult of the referendum to achieve other things.

While the deal struck between the government and the EU in December — and the prospect of Britain paying a ‘leaving bill’ of around £40 billion — has offended some Brexiteers, it has transformed the political landscape. With Theresa May’s money on the table, the EU has every incentive to agree to the extensive trade deal – crucially including financial services – which she has demanded in return.