Closed petition Request a short term extension to the Brexit transition period

Closed on 29 June 2021

With Brexit only days away, negotiations continue, and now we have a new strain of coronavirus and import bans. Government must surely focus all efforts on public health. A request for a short extension to the transition period would not stop Brexit but would mean the focus could be on saving lives.

This is not about trying to stop Brexit. It is about the simple truth that the civil service has finite capacity. If Government goes ahead with Brexit right now, it will not be able to pay enough attention to concluding the negotations properly; it will not be able to focus on the logistical challenge of the vaccine; and it will not be able to focus on managing the new strain. Something has to give, and a short delay is surely the right thing.