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Early reflections of a new UK trade policy approach – tensions to be resolved, narrative created
Many years ago, a veteran trade commentator welcomed me to a field he said was endlessly fascinating but in which nothing actually happened. In further discussion that turned out to mean trade deals...
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A July General Election offers a new government time to rethink EU relations
As the speculation built that a UK General Election was to be called, those with one eye on UK-EU relations noted that the soon-to-be-confirmed date of 4 July meant that it would potentially be new...
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A first 100 days for UK trade policy
Within a matter of months, the UK will almost certainly have a new government. As much as a change of direction will be a new energy as seen in 1997 and 2010, the last times this happened. A welcome...
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Building a new UK-EU relationship around trade and climate
There’s an inevitability every time we consider individual issues in the UK-EU to reflect on the past few years of Brexit. This raking over past problems particularly well remembered in Brussels...
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State of UK Trade Policy 2024 – Preparing for New Direction
Since Brexit, Free Trade Agreements have been the focus of UK trade policy to the extent of obscuring other activities. Notwithstanding this year’s key achievement, accession to CPTPP, that agenda...
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How should UK Trade Policy respond to global developments?
Trade policy is in flux, moving from previous norms of trade liberalisation and relatively strong institutions, to fragmentation and great power competition. There are obvious tensions between US,...
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Ten aspects of the UK-EU deal on Northern Ireland
When it comes to Northern Ireland, there is rarely a single story. Complexities of post-Brexit trading arrangements were overlaid on existing political and social ambiguities in the form of a...
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2023 will be a defining year for Brexit and trade
Notwithstanding endless discussions and early data, Brexit cannot yet be definitively declared a success or failure. Those who would point to trade deals and independent regulatory policy as signs of...
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The hidden complexities of the UK Government Northern Ireland Protocol Bill
The publication of the UK government’s Northern Ireland Protocol Bill appears to have brought UK-EU relations to a new low ebb, with trade war an increasing concern to businesses. Below the...
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The Curious Disappearance of Pragmatic UK is Probably not Permanent
There is the EU memory of the UK as the awkward odd one, always demanding exemptions and rebates, constantly complaining about Commission overreach. Then there is the conflicting recollection of the...