国际英语资讯:Interview: Britain may never actually leave EU: political expert_时事

国际英语资讯:Interview: Britain may never actually leave EU: political expert

"The reality, rather terrifyingly, is that two years is nowhere near long enough to negotiate a clean Brexit. It is a lot more complicated and complex than people imagined, with trade deals taking years, seven years in some cases, to conclude."

Wilks-Heeg believes the longer and more protracted the talks, the penny will drop that it's easier to continue with those transitional arrangements.

Britain could, theoretically, remain in a sort of "no man's land," neither in Europe, nor out.

As for UKIP, Wilks-Heeg believes the party has had its day, and does not have a future.

Currently without an elected leader, UKIP has seen its fortunes collapse since the referendum, and in last month's snap general election, its results were dismal.

Despite being seen as the heroes of Brexit, UKIP did not win a single seat, and just a few days ago lost overall control of the only local council in Britain that it had led.

UKIP's likely demise does not surprise Wilks-Heeg. He said: "It started as a pressure group established by an LSE academic, Alan Sked, in 1993. For a very long time it was a fringe party and it was really only after large-scale immigration from Poland and other parts of Eastern Europe in the mid-2000s that UKIP became a significant political force.

"Following the election many of those who supported UKIP have returned to the Conservative or Labor Parties. This was hardly surprising given that UKIP had achieved what it set out to do.