UK-EU divorce overshadowed by coronavirus

London, Dec 26 : Britain and the European Union (EU) struck a post-Brexit trade deal on Thursday, which will have many implications for everyday life and Britain’s future relationship with other countries.
While many Britons hailed the historic deal, some were less enthusiastic about it, worrying that any form of Brexit, combining with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, will make things quite different here in 2021, Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday.
Richard Wilson, chair of Leeds for Europe which is a pro-EU group in Britain, said he saw Brexit as an absolute defining moment, both for Britain and Europe.
However, “the negative impacts of Brexit have been very much overshadowed by the coronavirus. I mean, talk about the high street, it’s been devastated by coronavirus — we’re still in Tier Three here in Leeds. We’ve been for some time now. So our shops have been restricted and our retail establishments, hospitality, have been shut down for several months,” Wilson said.
Wilson left his role as a member of the Green Party to found and become chair of the pro-EU group after the 2016 Brexit referendum. He said he believes that Britain benefits when working closely with Europe, not against it.
In his hometown of Leeds in north England, he has noticed how both Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic have really impacted the local economy.