Brexiters, Singapore-on-Thames is a fantasy

The state's dominance makes negotiating free-trade agreements much easier than it would be in a post-Brexit UK

Many pro-Brexit Brits are taken with the idea that the UK doesn’t need to belong to a large bloc any more than its tiny former colony Singapore does. The Southeast Asian city-state, they argue, has flourished by lowering taxes and opening up its economy to trade and investment, and so can a post-Europe Britain. Those excited about the prospects for “Singapore-on-Thames,” though, might want to take a closer look at how Singapore itself works. Or doesn’t.

It is true that the tropical port has thrived on trade since before Sir Stamford Raffles landed there 200 years ago. British colonisers encouraged