In addition to all the specific criticisms of the Government’s record and its policies, many make the assertion that after a political party has been in power for many years, it is ‘time for a change.’ The argument continues that any such government is likely to be ‘tired’ and to have ‘run out of ideas.’ […]
Despite all evidence to the contrary, the crisis of Houthi militants threatening shipping in the Red Sea is still seen by many as principally a political one. Some observers have accepted the Houthis’ disingenuous justification that their terrorism is motivated purely Israel’s actions in Gaza. Tell that to the crew of the Strinda, a Norwegian-flagged […]
The DEFRA Secretary Steve Barclay has announced plans to introduce labels on food products from countries which do not match the UK’s environmental or animal welfare standards. His reason for doing so is to stop British farmers being ‘undercut’ by foreign producers. Barclay is wrong to be concerned about cheap food imports. Imports are a […]
The United Kingdom has a longstanding relationship with in the island of Cyprus. We continue to maintain sovereign military bases there, and much of the island’s infrastructure is based on foundations that we built. For example, Ercan International Airport in the North evolved out of RAF Tymbou, a WW2 era aerodrome that was converted into […]
Labour Shadow Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds recently stated that Labour’s approach to international trade would be similar to that of Joe Biden in the US. While there are certainly some positive points in Labour’s trade agenda such as its commitment to reforming the Board of Trade, attempting to replicate Bidenomics in the UK […]
It is an open secret, in Brussels and elsewhere, that for political reasons the UK must still be ‘punished’ for Brexit. The EU cannot afford to see a country prosper after leaving; the lesson must be driven home that exiting the European Union is the door only to economic contraction and dwindling competitiveness. For evidence, […]
The Prime Minister has arrived in India for the G20 summit. It has been rumoured that the government will use it as an opportunity to announce that a deal for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the UK and India has been struck. While a deal has the potential to be very significant, there has […]
As Foreign Secretary James Cleverly visits China this week, he has made clear that disengagement is not ‘credible’. While this may be true, we should not be complacent about the far-reaching economic impact of Beijing’s dominance of key industries – not least electric vehicles [EVs]. The Chinese takeover of the EV market happened slowly, then […]
The UK’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), signed this weekend by Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch, ought to be a cause for celebration. It brings us into a trade area of 500 million people, covering 13% of global GDP. Much of the reporting, however, emphasises that official estimates of the […]
The global multilateral trading system is under extreme pressure. The re-emergence of great power rivalry; the politicisation of trade; and the challenge China presents to the ‘Washington consensus’ mean that the conditions that helped facilitate the wave of globalisation seen at the end of last century and the beginning of this one is in jeopardy. […]
As the World Trade Organization is meeting in Geneva this week, Biden administration officials have taken aim at Europe’s protectionist trade policies. The US Ambassador to the WTO, Maria Pagán, laid out ‘persistent barriers’ that American goods and services face to enter the European market. High on the agenda were EU food and wine standards, […]
The recent Politico story about finalising the UK Australian trade agreement adds some interesting colour to the UK’s first free trade deal since 1973. Its scathing account has been instantly picked up by the anti-Boris crowd and gleefully shared on social media as an apparent example of Johnson’s incompetence as a negotiator. However, I suspect […]
Despite all the challenges from pizzas, burgers,kebabs and fried chicken, old-fashioned fish and chips remains not just part of our rich culinary heritage, but a very popular meal. It regularly comes top of polls and research on the most popular take-away meal and also happens to be cheaper than most other options. As with so […]
The UK joining CPTPP is a seismically important geostrategic event. While commentators here will quibble over exactly how much the agreement might add to our GDP, the real value of the deal is not in its immediate impact on the UK economy. Those dynamic benefits will take time to ripple through, but what really matters […]
Along with all the benefits international trade brings for consumers in terms of the range and quality of goods they can get hold of, the effect on exporters themselves has perhaps had less attention. Yet it’s something we really ought to all be talking about, especially in the context of Britain’s chronic problems with both […]
The recent Guardian article lamenting that the UK ‘will be 15 years late in hitting £1tn annual export target’ is among the sillier bits of trade reporting to have appeared in recent years. The piece hinges on a statement by junior trade minister Andrew Bowie suggesting the Government was set to miss its 2030 target […]
Watch or listen to CapX’s weekly podcast ‘The Capitalist’ wherever you get your podcasts.
