Benchmarking Brexit against the Norwegian model

Abstract

Speaker: Christopher Lord Before the 2016 referendum, it was widely supposed that if the UK ever left the European Union it would have at least to consider a relationship similar to that between Norway and the EU. Yet, since 2016, the Norwegian option has largely disappeared from British public debate, except, perhaps, to be dismissed as unsuited to the UK. It might seem that all this is easily explained. The Norwegian model is just incompatible with the outcome of a referendum fought, and won, on the idea of taking back control. Still, this paper argues that the Norwegian model remains a crucial benchmark in understanding at least the following: i) how the UK eventually resolves the competing ideologies of Brexit; ii) Brexit as constitutional choice; iii) the character of the UK as an international actor after Brexit; iv) Brexit as an exercise of political power and v) the legitimacy of Brexit.