Dutch government unveils a furry Brexit monster - as it warns Britain is a 'waning' country

The Dutch Brexit monster (in the t-shirt) – with the country’s foreign minister, Stef Blok (Stef Blok)
The Dutch Brexit monster (in the t-shirt) – with the country’s foreign minister, Stef Blok (Stef Blok)

Brexit has become a monster – officially.

The Dutch government has unveiled a big, blue, furry monster called Brexit complete with ministerial approval.

Stef Blok, the Dutch Foreign Minister, bizarrely tweeted a picture of himself with the creature, which is wearing a white T-shirt with the word “Brexit” in red letters, lying on his desk and stopping him from working.

The fluffy creature does have a serious point though.

The Brexit monster will appear in a Dutch campaign to make sure businesses prepare for the UK exit from the European Union (Brexitloket)
The Brexit monster will appear in a Dutch campaign to make sure businesses prepare for the UK exit from the European Union (Brexitloket)

The Dutch government says the idea of the blue monster is to raise awareness among Dutch businesses of the impact of Brexit, especially if Britain crashes out of the EU without a deal on March 29.

‘Make sure Brexit doesn’t get – or lie – in your way,’ Mr Blok, who has his arms raised in a gesture of mock frustration, said in the tweet.

‘It’s a sort of funny way of warning for Brexit, but in a relaxed way,’ a Dutch government source told AFP, adding that the creature’s name was ‘Brexit’.

The Dutch mickey-taking, with a serious point, comes as Britain still searches to approve a deal for leaving the European Union.

If it does not, Britain could leave without a deal, which many businesses have warned against, next month.

The tweet also features a link to a government website – www.brexitloket.nl – where firms can check for the potential fallout to their business.

Brexit – the monster – also features in a full-page advertisement in the Dutch newspaper Financieele Dagblad newspaper on Thursday as well.

The so-called Brexit muppet will also feature in a social media campaign ‘literally getting in the way of business’ by blocking trucks and conveyor belts, the government has said.

The humorous Dutch take on Brexit belies the fact that the Netherlands is making major preparations to deal with the impact on its economy, which is closely linked with Britain, reports AFP.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said in an interview published in the Financial Times on Thursday that around 250 businesses were close to a decision to move to the Netherlands from a ‘diminished’ Britain because of Brexit.

He also said that Britain is a ‘waning country’, which is too small to stand alone in the world.

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