Two hundred years after Stamford Raffles arrived in Singapore and transformed it into a free port, we hear about "Singapore on the Thames". Google the phrase, and you get more than 13 million results.
It started as a rhetorical battle cry by Brexiter ultras who believe that leaving the European Union will somehow deliver the United Kingdom into some kind of unregulated, free-trading, low-tax economic paradise, for which Singapore is inaccurately designated as the role model.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Read the full story and more at $9.90/month
Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month
ST One Digital
$9.90/month
No contract
ST app access on 1 mobile device
Unlock these benefits
All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com
Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device
E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you
