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Economics & Finance Brexit EU government Health NHS universal credit Whitehall

Abandoning Brexit would give us a chance to implement three vital social reforms 

Without the distraction of leaving, ministers could get on with fixing social care, universal credit and further education 

By Paul Wallace  
January 18, 2019

Free of the Brexit distraction, ministers could work on clearing up the Universal Credit mess. Photo: Kirsty O'Connor/PA Wire/PA Images

Imagine for a moment that Brexit does not happen after all. Quite apart from the economic and strategic virtues of remaining in the EU, the government could focus on the real problems facing the country. Ministers have been ducking crucial decisions in their all-consuming preoccupation with Brexit. The blight is especially notable in social policy where there are three overriding priorities for action.

First, sort out a new system…

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Paul Wallace

Paul Wallace is the former European Economics Editor of the Economist. He is the author of "The Euro Experiment" (Cambridge University Press)

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