Could Britain leave Europe before Greece?

All talk has been of a Greek exit from Europe. But could the UK pull out before then? Matthew Partridge examines the forces that could drive Britain out of the EU, and what the likely consequences of a 'Brixit' would be.

We've heard a lot (some would say too much) about a 'Grexit' the threat of Greece leaving the eurozone. There is even an outside chance, although it has fallen in recent months, that one or more of the other heavily indebted eurozone countries might join them.

We've also heard a bit about how some countries in northern Europe have pondered whether to leave the eurozone themselves, to avoid having to pay to prop up the debtor nations. Earlier this year, one of Holland's major political parties even paid for a report on whether the Netherlands should bring back the guilder.

Subscribe to MoneyWeek

Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE

Get 6 issues free
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/mw70aro6gl1676370748.jpg

Sign up to Money Morning

Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter

Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter

Sign up
Dr Matthew Partridge
Shares editor, MoneyWeek

Matthew graduated from the University of Durham in 2004; he then gained an MSc, followed by a PhD at the London School of Economics.

He has previously written for a wide range of publications, including the Guardian and the Economist, and also helped to run a newsletter on terrorism. He has spent time at Lehman Brothers, Citigroup and the consultancy Lombard Street Research.

Matthew is the author of Superinvestors: Lessons from the greatest investors in history, published by Harriman House, which has been translated into several languages. His second book, Investing Explained: The Accessible Guide to Building an Investment Portfolio, is published by Kogan Page.

As senior writer, he writes the shares and politics & economics pages, as well as weekly Blowing It and Great Frauds in History columns He also writes a fortnightly reviews page and trading tips, as well as regular cover stories and multi-page investment focus features.

Follow Matthew on Twitter: @DrMatthewPartri