Brexit: when rhetoric finally faced facts
Trade experts warned from the outset that Boris Johnson was putting his ambition ahead of the reality of Britain’s ability to negotiate deals, writes Geoff Kitney. When Boris Johnson set out to…
Trade
Brexit puts paid to the ties that bind
Britain’s exit from the EU, the death of Queen Elizabeth and debate about Australia’s colonial history have led to growing calls for Australia to become a republic. When the Brexit bandwagon was…
Why is no-one talking about the high cost of Brexit?
Leaving the single market and customs union is believed to have reduced UK trade in goods to the EU by £14 billion a month, writes Murray Ritchie. While the United Kingdom slithers…
Political will is in short supply
Brexit is causing a curious stasis in UK politics in the four constituent nations. It is as though no-one really knows what to do next, writes Murray Ritchie. 2022 looks like being…
British brinkmanship is not what it once was
The Government’s “Up yours Delors” bravado could cost the United Kingdom dearly, writes Geoff Kitney. All that glitters is not necessarily gold. UK Trade Minister Liz Truss might have been well advised…
FTA’s are not always about trade
The UK and Australia may have signed a free trade agreement but how deep does the idea of shared interests run? Geoff Kitney takes a look. All sorts of spin have been…
Politics trumps pragmatism in Brexit deal
It is not the end of Brexit, but with the newly expressed amity and partnership between the two parties, it may be the end of the beginning, writes John Egan It is…
Taking sides? The China conundrum
Trade relations are testing business leaders everywhere but particularly those whose governments are strongly aligned with the United States, Geoff Kitney writes. Boris Johnson’s China policy journey has come a long way…
Brexit trade wars: beware corporate America’s power
The idea that the UK after Brexit could expect to get some sort of inside running for a beneficial trade agreement with the US needs a reality check. Boris Johnson would do…
An ‘economic competitor’ on the EU’s doorstep?
Any attempt to undercut long-established European standards would be an effective declaration of economic warfare, writes Geoff Kitney. Amid the raucous and sometimes ill-tempered hubbub that has characterised the Brexit debate one…