The accounting is in on Britain’s so-called Festival of Brexit. It was meant to be a patriotic celebration but, instead, it is the second-most obvious failure to come out of the UK since voting to leave the EU (we’ll get to the Number One failure in a moment).
The Festival of Brexit idea was born after the 2016 referendum as part of the "take our country back" nostalgia when Boris Johnson used to promise that Britain could "have our cake and eat it". But, now as we say hello to our fourth Conservative Prime Minster in six years, Liz Truss is finding out that there is no cake after all, and the Festival of Brexit turns out to be a disaster. Sixty-six million visitors were thought likely to visit the festival. Only 238,000 turned up. The festival cost £120 million ($138m), so a government handout of £500 each might have been more useful in these hard economic times.
The Festival of Brexit nickname was controversial. It was quickly dropped, in part because few people in Britain’s creative communities wanted to be associated with anything badged as Brexit. It was renamed Unboxed but the £120m White Elephant never caught the public imagination.
Yet, it is only the second-most obvious failure to come out of leaving the EU because this week, the most obvious failure is of course Mr Johnson himself. The accounting is in on him, too. He was chosen as Conservative party leader in 2019 on a promise to "get Brexit done". That slogan won him 43.6 per cent of the vote in the December 2019 general election which, under the archaic Westminster system, guaranteed a parliamentary landslide of 80 seats. But since then, the British people – most notably those who voted for Brexit and voted for Mr Johnson – have recognised that Brexit is far from done. It’s unfinished.
The British people have recognised that Brexit is far from done
Yet, undeterred, Mr Johnson’s resignation speech boasted that his proudest achievements were "getting Brexit done, settling our relations with the continent after half a century and reclaiming the power for this country to make its own laws in parliament".
The political analyst and pollster Peter Kellner pointed out that "the trouble is that most voters reject his claim". A Deltapoll found only one in three voters thought Mr Johnson had kept his promise to get Brexit done. Almost two thirds – 60 per cent – agreed, instead, that Mr Johnson "has not really fulfilled his promise as Brexit is not going well and many problems in our relationship with the EU have yet to be solved". This is a toxic inheritance for his successor, Liz Truss. As Mr Kellner noted, this profound dissatisfaction extends to both those British voters who voted Leave in 2016 (46 per cent) and those who voted Conservative in 2019 (41 per cent.) Mr Kellner concludes that while some Leave voters now think Brexit was simply a mistake, "around 4 million Leave voters still favour Brexit but say it has so far worked out badly" during Mr Johnson’s time in power.
Unless Ms Truss can convince Conservative and Brexit voters otherwise, she is unlikely to win the next general election. Polling for the Conservative party is grim. Most show the Labour opposition about 10 per cent ahead of the Conservatives. Of course, Ms Truss may get some kind of bounce from being the new face in Downing Street, except for the fact that she is an old face – formerly a minister in the Environment Department, the Justice Department and the Foreign Office among other jobs. Some commentators suggest she has risen without a trace, full of ambition yet lacking any real achievements in any of these jobs. She has loudly trumpeted her post-Brexit trade deals, yet almost all have simple been rollovers of existing EU trade deals.
Any Truss honeymoon will probably be very short because her in-tray is daunting – one of the most serious economic crises most of us can remember, soaring inflation, energy bills crippling businesses and terrifying ordinary families, plus the Ukraine conflict and the unresolved Brexit rows.
Mr Johnson offered some characteristically bizarre farewell advice to the British people. He suggested we could all save energy by buying a new kettle for £20 thereby saving about £10 a year. I am not making this up. He made some kind of analogy with the UK’s failure to invest in nuclear power, although his Conservative party has been in power for 12 years and failed to do so.
The Johnson years, like the Festival of Brexit, never lived up to any of the publicity nor the wild ambitions Boris and his boosters promised. Perhaps historians will see Mr Johnson’s epitaph in the comments by Keir Starmer, the Labour party leader. Mr Starmer said that Mr Johnson was not a wicked person, but he was a "trivial" one. A showman is not an act suitable for difficult times. It’s an act which – like the Festival of Brexit – the public came to reject. And my kettle is old but reliable. I think I may need to sit down and have a strong cup of tea.
The years Ramadan fell in May
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The five pillars of Islam
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More from Neighbourhood Watch
MATCH INFO
Austria 2
Hinteregger (53'), Schopf (69')
Germany 1
Ozil (11')
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More on animal trafficking
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
BANGLADESH SQUAD
Mashrafe Mortaza (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Liton Das, Soumya Sarkar, Mushfiqur Rahim (wicketkeeper), Mahmudullah, Shakib Al Hasan (vice captain), Mohammad Mithun, Sabbir Rahaman, Mosaddek Hossain, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Abu Jayed (Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru Editing by Amlan Chakraborty)
About Proto21
Date started: May 2018
Founder: Pir Arkam
Based: Dubai
Sector: Additive manufacturing (aka, 3D printing)
Staff: 18
Funding: Invested, supported and partnered by Joseph Group
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Mobile phone packages comparison
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
%20Ramez%20Gab%20Min%20El%20Akher
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreator%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ramez%20Galal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ramez%20Galal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStreaming%20on%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMBC%20Shahid%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
Teri%20Baaton%20Mein%20Aisa%20Uljha%20Jiya
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirectors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Amit%20Joshi%20and%20Aradhana%20Sah%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECast%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Shahid%20Kapoor%2C%20Kriti%20Sanon%2C%20Dharmendra%2C%20Dimple%20Kapadia%2C%20Rakesh%20Bedi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
More coverage from the Future Forum
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The five pillars of Islam
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The biog
Name: Marie Byrne
Nationality: Irish
Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption
Book: Seagull by Jonathan Livingston
Life lesson: A person is not old until regret takes the place of their dreams
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
ROUTE%20TO%20TITLE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERound%201%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Beat%20Leolia%20Jeanjean%206-1%2C%206-2%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERound%202%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBeat%20Naomi%20Osaka%207-6%2C%201-6%2C%207-5%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERound%203%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBeat%20Marie%20Bouzkova%206-4%2C%206-2%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERound%204%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Beat%20Anastasia%20Potapova%206-0%2C%206-0%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EQuarter-final%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBeat%20Marketa%20Vondrousova%206-0%2C%206-2%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESemi-final%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBeat%20Coco%20Gauff%206-2%2C%206-4%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFinal%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Beat%20Jasmine%20Paolini%206-2%2C%206-2%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
More on Quran memorisation:
More on animal trafficking
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 1 (Fernandes pen 2') Tottenham Hotspur 6 (Ndombele 4', Son 7' & 37' Kane (30' & pen 79, Aurier 51')
Man of the match Son Heung-min (Tottenham)
The years Ramadan fell in May
The Bio
Name: Lynn Davison
Profession: History teacher at Al Yasmina Academy, Abu Dhabi
Children: She has one son, Casey, 28
Hometown: Pontefract, West Yorkshire in the UK
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite Author: CJ Sansom
Favourite holiday destination: Bali
Favourite food: A Sunday roast
The five pillars of Islam
The years Ramadan fell in May
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEjari%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERiyadh%2C%20Saudi%20Arabia%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EYazeed%20Al%20Shamsi%2C%20Fahad%20Albedah%2C%20Mohammed%20Alkhelewy%20and%20Khalid%20Almunif%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPropTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETotal%20funding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%241%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESanabil%20500%20Mena%2C%20Hambro%20Perks'%20Oryx%20Fund%20and%20angel%20investors%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E8%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
