The Brexiteers' trade delusions have been exposed for all to see

Illustration by Dom McKenzie / Ikon Images Trade deals! That was the exciting opportunity that was supposed to be created by Brexit. Freed from having to pander to the protectionist interests of southern Europeans, the UK would be free to strike valuable trade agreements with fast-growing countries across the world. Brexit would make us richer and more global. This was a relatively late entry to the list of arguments for leaving the European Union. The longstanding economic argument was that EU regulations on the environment and employment protection were holding us back, but these were not arguments that anyone wanted…