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The referendum should have never been held, given that neither Leavers nor the government had a “blueprint” for leaving. Baroness Smith maintained that it was outrageous of Theresa May to push the narrative that the European Elections must be avoided at any cost, which would require a longer extension. She stressed that a democracy lives from elections, and it shouldn’t shy away from them. She warned that even if May’s deal were to be approved at the last minute, Brexit is far from over, she ended by saying, “So if you thought the last two years were long and painful: You ain’t seen nothing yet.”

The second speaker was Nicolai von Ondarza, Deputy Head of EU/Europe Division, German Institute for International and Security Affairs at the Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik in Berlin. Mr Ondarza presented the German and European perspective on Brexit, pointing out that, remarkably, the EU 27 seem to be more united through the Brexit progress than the British parliament and cabinet. He explained that the main objective for Europe is to limit the damage, because whatever Brexit there will be, it will be of damage to the European economy. He outlined that from the first day of negotiations Germany had three guiding principles: protecting the single market, upholding the indivisibility of the four freedoms and creating a good relationship with the UK. Mr Ondarza said that the member states have changed their outlook on an extension, caused by the fact that no compromises can be found in Westminster. He also pointed out how the last two years of Brexit have damaged the European image of the UK.

Brendan Donnelly, the Director of Federal Trust, talked about British party politics in wake of Brexit and how they influenced the process. He argued that the type of Brexit people voted for was practically undeliverable, and hardly anyone was willing to say that, and the big parties have been pursuing fantasies of Brexit. He said that while the Tories can’t choose between a soft or a hard Brexit without destroying themselves, Labour seems to change their policy from hour to hour.