Publications
Publications
- February 2020 (Revised January 2022)
- HBS Case Collection
Getting Brexit Done
By: Alberto Cavallo
Abstract
In the early hours of Friday, December 13, 2019, a triumphant Boris Johnson, the UK Prime Minister, stood in front of his supporters and declared, “We did it – we pulled it off, didn’t we? We broke the deadlock, [. . .] we smashed the roadblock. [. . .] This election means getting Brexit done is now the irrefutable, irresistible, unarguable decision of the British people.” To Johnson, this was the culmination of a long process that had started with the shocking results of the 2016 referendum on Britain’s exit (Brexit) from the European Union (EU). But many long-run economic and political challenges still lay ahead: Would the UK and the EU be able to agree on a mutually-beneficial economic relationship before the end of the transition period? Could the UK negotiate better deals with other countries in a context of rising global protectionism? With renewed calls for Scottish independence and uncertainty about Northern Ireland’s future, would the UK itself start to break apart?
Keywords
Economic Integration; Brexit; Economics; Trade; Political Elections; Government Administration; Policy; Negotiation; Globalized Economies and Regions; Problems and Challenges; European Union; Europe
Citation
Cavallo, Alberto. "Getting Brexit Done." Harvard Business School Case 720-023, February 2020. (Revised January 2022.)