Unpicking the “no deal is better than a bad deal” mantra: what would a ‘bad deal’ look like?

Brexit supporters – including Government ministers – regularly claim that when it comes to UK withdrawal from the European Union and future bilateral relations, “no deal is better than a bad deal”. This mantra is based on confused thinking, writes Michael Johnson, in the first of three posts. The issues that will arise respectively if the UK successfully negotiates agreements on withdrawal and future relations, or if no agreement is reached, are wide-ranging and profoundly important. The simplistic claim that “no deal is better than a bad deal” raises many questions both of definition and of policy and provides no answers.