During his first term as US president, Donald Trump adopted a forthright approach to the issue of Nato funding. It had been an issue that concerned previous presidents too, but Trump forced it into the open and demanded that member states pay their fair share on defence. An inconvenient truth is that his approach worked, […]
In 2020, when she was then Secretary of State for International Trade, Liz Truss went to Washington D.C. to meet with President Donald Trump as part of the UK government’s negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between our two countries and to also tackle a few trade disputes. We sent Truss off with a […]
Something big and benign happened last month, and I bet you missed it. Indonesia formally applied to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). It deposited its official letter of application just as Britain was completing its own accession process. The way is now clear to a much closer commercial relationship between the two […]
Some 78 years after Churchill coined the phrase ‘the special relationship’ to describe the alliance between the UK and the US, both powers must continue to seek ways to deepen their economic ties and accelerate economic growth in order to meet the demands of global leadership. So it was very promising to have the United […]
A strategic partnership on critical raw materials (CRM) between the EU and Serbia is the latest manifestation of the rush to meet net zero targets. But it has also fuelled disappointment among those who had believed the EU was motivated by core political values rather than economic needs. For some, it is a triple betrayal; […]
The Government wants a new deal with Brussels. A ‘very ambitious’ Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement (otherwise known as a ‘veterinary agreement’) with the EU to smooth the flow of food in both directions. The prize makes sense – getting away from the need for paperwork, certificates and SPS checks at Border Control Posts (BCP) […]
A new government means a new set of Secretaries of State and ministers. When it comes to international trade, Jonathan Reynolds will be the fifth person since 2016 to hold the brief. As someone who spent 16 months advising one of his predecessors, here is what I think he should do. First, he should prioritise […]
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 […]
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