Economics

Britain Embarks on Brexit Hobbled by Decade-Old Economic Scars

  • Ills center on weakness of productivity growth since crisis
  • Johnson promises action but Bank of England sees no quick fix

Revelers draped in a Union flags, also known as a Union Jacks, stand in the rain during the Leave Means Leave celebration at Parliament Square in London on Jan. 31.

Photographer: Luke MacGregor/Bloomberg
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The U.K. begins life outside the European Union burdened by economic ills that have gone unresolved for more than a decade.