
Business chiefs and analysts wearing thin of a wait and watch approach to an ever-moving target for Britain's exit from the European Union (EU). The finish line in any race is most often the clearest goal towards which competitors can focus their attention. However, in the Brexit race, more of a dash in the days leading up to the October 31 mark, it is that very finish line that has continued to blur every time it seems remotely within reach. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson took charge at 10 Downing Street in July with the central pledge of getting Brexit done, “no ifs or buts”. Indeed, he declared in his characteristic dramatic style that he would rather be “dead in a ditch” than miss the Halloween deadline for Britain's long-drawn exit from the European Union (EU). “I am reassured that despite his pledge, he's not to be found anywhere in a ditch,” retorted Opposition Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn as MPs delivered a fresh bruising to Johnson in the House of Commons, forcing him by law to send a letter seeking another extension to the Brexit deadline and then reluctantly accepting his new deal but rejecting the fast-track timetable attached to it. Johnson, akin to a matador, has struggled against being overly rattled by repeated parliamentary bruising and is demanding a December 12 General Election, offering Parliament a kind of sop in the form of more time to debate his EU withdrawal agreement in the interim. Of course, an election itself is predicated on MPs passing it through and whether, and what kind of, an extension the EU's remaining 27 members agree to offer the UK this time around.