Many have been left somewhere between outraged and dumbfounded on Wednesday morning after Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union David Davis revealed that there has been no impact assessment done on Brexit.
The United Kingdom's decision to leave the European Union has been underway since June 23, 2016, and many points around the process are still unclear — including its future involvement in the single market and customs union, as well as what will be done about the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic.
Facing questions from his fellow MPs today, Davis admitted that there has been no impact assessment conducted on Brexit.
Labour MP Hillary Benn quizzed Davis in a remarkable exchange that went like this:
"So the government hasn't undertaken any impact assessment on the implications of leaving the EU for different sectors of the British economy?"
"No."
"So there isn't one, for example, on the automotive sector?"
"No."
"Is there one on aerospace?"
"Not that I'm aware of, no."
"One on financial services?"
"Well I think the answer is going to be no to all of them."
At this point, the room broke into bemused laughter. A full video of the exchange can be viewed below.
https://twitter.com/Ian_Fraser/status/938354226450878464
https://twitter.com/SeemaMalhotra1/status/938347804375830530
Needless to say, social media has erupted over these latest developments, with many left shocked and outraged, and some even suggesting that Davis should resign.
https://twitter.com/TheresaMEP/status/938349577719177216
https://twitter.com/PhilipNByrne/status/938362256609431552
https://twitter.com/alexGspence/status/938354252975570945
https://twitter.com/jonworth/status/938356308734029824
https://twitter.com/PeterStefanovi2/status/938361225360166912
