Brexit: A Guide for the Perplexed

BBC Radio 4
  • 4.7 (6)
  • GOVERNMENT

As the UK prepares to begin leaving the EU, what are the key deals to be done? Chris Morris cuts through the jargon to discover how everyone's lives could change.

  1. 06/23/2023

    Science

    Science became an unlikely battleground in the Brexit negotiations, which meant the UK was cut off from the billions of euros provided by the EU’s Horizon programme. Britain’s access to European satellites was also restricted. Adam Fleming asks how the new borders in science have affected the measurement of the polar ice caps and the search for new malaria treatments. Presenter: Adam Fleming Producer: Sally Abrahams Production Co-ordinator: Janet Staples Editor: China Collins Sound: Neil Churchill

    14 min

  2. 06/21/2023

    Services

    Brexit has made it trickier for UK lawyers and architects who want to work in Europe, even musicians have to fill in customs paperwork when they go on tour. So why has the service sector seemed to boom since the UK’s departure from the EU? Former Brussels correspondent Adam Fleming investigates. Presenter Adam Fleming Producers: Diane Richardson and Sally Abrahams Researcher: Octavia Woodward Production Co-ordinator: Janet Staples Editor: China Collins Sound: Neil Churchill

    14 min

  3. 06/20/2023

    Movement of People

    The free movement of people from the EU has ended, but immigration has reached record levels. Former Brussels correspondent, Adam Fleming, charts how Britain’s workplaces and universities have changed as a result of Brexit, and learns from seasonal workers about the art of picking asparagus. Producers: Sally Abrahams and Diane Richardson Production Co-ordinator: Janet Staples Editor: China Collins Sound engineer: James Beard

    15 min

  4. 06/19/2023

    Trade in Goods

    Former Brussels correspondent Adam Fleming explores how businesses have adapted to new trade rules, three years after the UK left the EU. He finds out why allergy-friendly nutrition bars are being sold to Australia and the Middle East instead of the EU, and the reason exports of British eels have ground to a halt. Presenter: Adam Fleming Producers: Diane Richardson and Sally Abrahams Editor: China Collins Production Co-ordinator: Janet Staples Sound: Neil Churchill

    14 min

  5. 02/08/2019

    Destinations

    Where might Brexit be taking the UK? Chris Morris takes a look beyond the daily news frenzy. As well as the withdrawal agreement currently being negotiated, there are much bigger questions now in play. What sort of economy, society and international links could the UK have? Journeying into this new world he discovers the possible destinations, the dramas to come why some are still clinging to the cheese sandwich theory of referendums. Producer: Chris Bowlby Editor: Hugh Levinson

    14 min

  6. 02/07/2019

    Security

    Britain's EU membership has shaped the way its security agencies and police co-operate with counterparts across Europe. Chris Morris discovers how Brexit might affect this. How far will co-operation continue as before, especially in key fields such as counter-terrorism? Will access to key databases be lost, and will the transfer of data be more difficult? And will extradition be affected? Producer: Viv Jones Editor: Hugh Levinson

    14 min

  7. 02/06/2019

    Settled Status

    Could hundreds of thousands of EU citizens find themselves living in Britain illegally after Brexit? Free movement is one of the key aspects of the European Union's single market. It means that anyone from any of the other 27 EU countries has been free to come to Britain and look for work and British citizens are able to exercise a similar right in those countries. But as the prime minister has constantly emphasised, when Britain leaves the EU, free movement will end. Chris Morris discovers what this means for the estimated 3.5 million EU citizens who live in the UK now. Most of them will be able to stay under the government’s “Settled Status” scheme. They will need to apply for this status, however, having never before been required to register in the UK. And it’s believed that between 5 and 15 per cent of those needing to apply will fail to do so. Some won’t want to, others simply won’t know that they have to. So when the deadline expires in June 2021, several hundred thousand people who lawfully live in the UK may become illegal immigrants overnight. Could Britain be heading for a new Windrush moment? Producer: Tim Mansel Editor: Hugh Levinson

    14 min

  8. 02/05/2019

    Irish border

    Hardly mentioned during the referendum campaign, the question of a hard border in Ireland has become crucial in the Brexit process. Chris Morris discovers how economics, politics and history all play a role in making this border so sensitive as the UK leaves the EU. Producer: Chris Bowlby Editor: Hugh Levinson

    14 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.7
out of 5
6 Ratings

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As the UK prepares to begin leaving the EU, what are the key deals to be done? Chris Morris cuts through the jargon to discover how everyone's lives could change.

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