Post-Brexit, the best job in the UK government was that of trade secretary. While other ministers dealt with the Brexit fallout, or were tasked with tackling Covid-19, then trade chief, Liz Truss, was filling up her trophy cabinet. EU trade … Continue reading →
The Irish nationalist party Sinn Fein emerged as the largest party, while the DUP came second on their anti-Protocol platform. However, there is no majority for either Irish unification nor for scrapping the Northern Irish Protocol. Following confirmation of their … Continue reading →
Lord Frost’s hard line on re-negotiating the Northern Ireland Protocol has won some flexibility from the EU. But talks have stalled amid an exchange of threats. The Prime Minister will need to decide what best serves his political interest: a … Continue reading →
It is becoming harder to get mergers cleared in the UK. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is taking an increasingly sceptical view and wants to go further by getting government to change the rules to make it even easier to block mergers … Continue reading →
Rewriting the rulebook With Brexit done and hopes rising that the worst of the pandemic may soon be behind us, the British Government’s attention has shifted to its post-Brexit, post-pandemic future. The rupture with the EU’s legal order means that, in some areas, new, … Continue reading →
Now the UK has its own national trade policy let’s get it right. Rolling over EU agreements is important, but it is the easy bit. Beyond that, a focus on traditional goods-oriented Free Trade Agreements will be too narrow. We should be smart and innovative. Trade policy does not exist … Continue reading →
If 2020 was bad, the start Q1 of 2021 looked worse. Covid-19 is severely affecting every aspect of life, and we are seeing early evidence of post-Brexit disruption. By the spring things may look better: we have a Brexit deal, and vaccines offer hope. But the economic and social … Continue reading →
Summary of my argument: with only four months of negotiating time left a Brexit deal remains in reach but is far from certain. The UK-EU negotiations are held up on three key issues: level playing field rules for economic and … Continue reading →
