A hard Brexit would be tougher for Britain than for the EU It's looking likely that Britain could crash out of the European Union at the end of this year without a deal. That would be worse for Britain than the EU. Border bottlenecks could become the norm if Britain and the EU fail to achieve a deal A prognosis is just a fuzzy statement about an unknown future. When it comes to Britain's separation from the European Union, only one thing is certain: If no acceptable Brexit agreement is negotiated by the end of the year, the World Trade Organization's terms would enter into force on January 1. That would mean border controls and all kinds of new customs duties.