Kemi Badenoch’s Net Zero intervention last month made plenty of political sense. The Tories face a threat from Reform, and the Net Zero consensus was part of the reason why. With the anti-establishment wave showing no signs of receding, Badenoch needed to try and protect the party’s right flank – dropping the commitment to Net […]
At the heart of the Brexit debacle has been a consistent failure by the UK political establishment to assess its predicament with sufficient clarity. Until that changes, there will be no way out of the quagmire. Primarily this means understanding that the existing withdrawal package already indicates a closely integrated future trading relationship, and digesting […]
Incredibly, Brexit consensus has been achieved. Brexiteers and Remainers finally have a shared objective: to deliver the most withering put-down of Theresa May’s withdrawal package. Jeremy Corbyn called the Political Declaration “26 pages of waffle”, while Remain media campaigner Ian Dunt described the suggested course as a “conveyor belt towards an abattoir”. Ambrose Evans-Pritchard at […]
It’s been a bad day for anyone hoping for an orderly Brexit, as the hydra of the Irish border reared its head again. At a speech in Belfast, Theresa May rejected the EU’s ideas for some kind of special solution to keep the border invisible, while insisting her “common rulebook” plans would make checks on […]
No matter how many times the Government rejects it, the idea that the UK will remain a Single Market member after leaving the European Union refuses to wither and die. Those against Brexit, or for reducing its risks, argue that the Referendum did not instruct the government to end Single Market participation. Their opponents, however, […]
If there is one issue that defines the muddle that the UK and its political classes have got into over Brexit, it is the customs union. An unnecessary saga is ongoing partly because it is misunderstood, often because those seeking economic continuity promote it, but primarily because opponents of separation are manipulating it. A new […]
With a dishonest and distracting debate over a customs union dominating the headlines, there was precious little attention given to a significant development in the Brexit process this week. That was the first sign that Prime Minister Theresa May and Brexit Secretary David Davis are willing to consider an association agreement to frame their aspiration […]
While President Trump has been preparing to rock the global trading system with aggressive moves to impose tariffs on Chinese imports, African leaders have been moving in a very different direction In February, under the auspices of the African Union (AU), 44 of the continent’s 55 nations took a high-profile step towards integration by backing […]
While Theresa May’s Cabinet colleagues now seem supportive of her approach to Brexit, the same cannot be said of her European counterparts. Instead, their guidelines issued last week for the future partnership outline a trading relationship that would necessitate a special status for Northern Ireland, indicating that the parties are on a collision course. A […]
A late January speech by Philip Hammond at the World Economic Forum reignited the debate over the possibility of the UK maintaining a customs union with the European Union after leaving. Given the Chancellor’s support in his address for the government’s broad strategy, which includes ending customs union, it is not immediately clear why. The […]
Everybody who wants the UK to make an orderly departure from the EU, minimising its negative impacts, should have welcomed the conclusion of the first phase of withdrawal negotiations last month, which crucially included a series of options to keep the Irish land border invisible. It sets the stage for discussions of a new partnership […]
