This Brexit built on lies can’t be undone, but the new prime minister has a chance to minimise the damage
- Jürgen Maier is vice-chair of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership
I’m sure that, just like me, you learned the hard way when telling your first elaborate lie at school. It didn’t end well, as it led to more lies. Most responsible people learn these lessons young, and do not carry them into their professional life. Sadly, the same doesn’t seem true for today’s government.
I have always been proud of our UK’s strong democracy and fact-based debate. Brexit changed this, and our government entered a game of lies and coverups on steroids. As the debate of whether we should or should not “do Brexit” started, I remember being very confident about entering the debate, as I was sure that the facts would matter most. I was wrong. As we now know, the facts – certainly as far as the economy is concerned – were largely ignored.
