Britain is showing signs of a failed state amid growing anxiety about its plans to leave the European Union, CNN host Fareed Zakaria has warned. His grim diagnosis was met with both approval and eye-rolling on social media.

Speaking on his CNN political show ‘GPS,’ Zakaria argued that thanks to Brexit, the UK was marching towards disaster.

“Britain, famous for its prudence, propriety and punctuality, is suddenly looking like a banana republic as it makes reckless decisions, misrepresents reality and now wants to change its own self-imposed deadline,” Zakaria said in a segment that aired on Sunday. Dismissing the pro-Brexit claim that the EU has become a “statist juggernaut,” the CNN host quipped: “Britain’s Conservatives have gone nuts.”

His comments were warmly received by many netizens, with some even suggesting that Zakaria had understated the severity of the situation.

“He’s right,”wrote Reddit user Selerox. “This is a national defeat, economically, politically and diplomatically.” He added that Brexit not only risks “the UK’s future prosperity and security, but it all but guarantees the fragmentation and destruction of the UK as a nation state.”

“We are not a banana republic. How dare you. We can’t get a trade deal on bananas. I agree with everything else he said tho,” YouTube user Simon Reid said.

“Britain should not be referred to as a Banana Republic… It is a Banana Monarchy,” joked another commenter.

Still, some took issue with Zakaria’s apocalyptic prophesy.

“Such rot. US media coverage of Brexit has been awful, they literally don't have a clue,” one unpersuaded netizen quipped.

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Others pushed back against Zakaria’s use of “banana republic,” a term which was coined to describe Honduras and neighboring countries that were being exploited by US corporations at the turn of the 20th century.

“The irony of America calling Britain a banana republic when they are running round like headless chickens as their president becomes the legal leader of a mafia cartel,” read one indignant comment.

“Banana republic? You should look at the United States. What you describe as a banana republic is exactly what the United States is right now,” insisted another.

British lawmakers voted last week to delay implementing Brexit past its initial March 29 deadline, and the UK government now hopes to secure an exit deal with the bloc before June 30. The extension has sparked accusations from Brexiteers that the government is plotting to abandon its pledge to leave the European Union. Fierce disagreements over how the UK should proceed with its divorce from Brussels have led to a number of high profile resignations in Prime Minister Theresa May’s cabinet.

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