Parliament, which now will have a say in triggering negotiations with the European Union, may want to insist on a soft landing, indeed.
“Future Proof,” a recent report from the Institute for Public Policy Research forecasts that an isolated U.K., without an influx of young migrants, will be older, more unequal and squeezed financially by the end of the next decade. The number of people over 65 is expected to grow by a third while growth of the 16 to 64-year-old population will be flat. The income of wealthy families is forecast to rise 11 times faster than for that of poor families, deepening the already wide wealth gap between London and the rest of the country. Two-thirds of all jobs are at risk from automation.
The U.K. Supreme Court’s ruling that Prime Minister Theresa May must seek a parliamentary vote may lead to a “softer” Brexit. That could preserve the U.K.’s access to a single market and soften May’s stance on immigration. The new report suggests technological change, demographic shifts and economic realities require forward-looking solutions. Scapegoating immigrants to restore a mythical past is unlikely to work.
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