The World Trade Organisation must halt its march into irrelevance September 11, 2020 Even the World Trade Organization’s strongest advocates cannot deny that it is an organisation with serious problems. It is a body that has deep technical skills and a relatively simple purpose, to ensure international trade flows as smoothly, predictably and freely as possible. A steady rise in protectionism, diminishing respect for its rules and an [...]
UK-Canada trade deal back in focus as talks restart September 7, 2020 Hopes of securing a post-Brexit free trade deal with Canada were given a boost today after trade secretary Liz Truss announced the UK had kickstarted discussions. “Trade talks with Canada have commenced,” Truss wrote in a tweet. “The aim is to provide continuity for businesses by the end of the transition period. “Both the UK [...]
City figures brought in to advise on UK trade negotiations August 25, 2020 Some of the City of London’s most prominent business leaders have been drafted in by the government to consult on the UK’s ongoing trade negotiations. Leaders from companies such as EY, Barclays and HSBC will be members of the Department of International Trade’s newly formed trade advisory groups. The government is simultaneously negotiating trade deal [...]
Trade secretary Liz Truss under fire for personal think tank meetings August 20, 2020 Trade secretary Liz Truss is facing criticism after a series of meetings with a pro-hard Brexit think tank were removed from the public record and reclassified as personal discussions. Two meetings between Truss and the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) were originally logged in quarterly transparency data on the government’s website and described as discussions [...]
US mulls $3.1bn of new tariffs on UK and European goods June 24, 2020 The US is weighing up new tariffs on $3.1bn (£2.5bn) of exports from the UK, France, Germany and Spain as trade tensions between the Trump administration and Europe rise again. The US Trade Representative (USTR) wants to impose new tariffs on European exports including olives, beer, gin and trucks, while increasing duties on certain products [...]
Tory MPs call for trade bill overhaul amid fears over UK’s reliance on China May 14, 2020 Two dozen Tory MPs have called for a revamp of the UK’s trade bill amid concerns that Britain is too reliant on China for imports to critical national infrastructure. The group, which includes former Brexit secretary David Davis and party leader Iain Duncan Smith, today penned a letter to trade secretary Liz Truss urging the [...]
This pandemic may lead to more trade barriers, but is that such a bad thing? March 25, 2020 The current crisis dominates everything, from trade to everyday life. But, within a relatively short space of time, it will pass. What next? What will be the “new normal” after coronavirus? A key policy aim across the west for many decades since the Second World War was to reduce barriers to international trade. But it [...]
Brexit and international trade policy leader joins EY’s trade team March 2, 2020 | City Talk EY has strengthened its International Trade and Brexit team with the key appointment of leading global trade specialist, Sally Jones. Specialising in trade policy, from both a global and Brexit perspective, Sally joins EY as partner and trade policy leader, having previously worked at Big Four competitor, Deloitte. Sally has worked with clients across multiple industries [...]
An inclusive market economy is well within reach post-Brexit February 13, 2020 In his Greenwich speech last week, the Prime Minister persuasively set out how the Brexit process must carry with it a Canada-style free trade agreement, resting on the “indispensable principle of comparative advantage.” For Boris Johnson, this means embracing free trade to raise living standards and lift people out of poverty, while casting aside the [...]
Whisky trade bodies unite in call to end ‘punitive’ transatlantic tariffs January 28, 2020 Whisky trade associations from both sides of the Atlantic have called on the UK and US governments to end what they described as “punitive” tariffs on spirits. The chief executives of the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) and the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS) said the countries should “urgently find a negotiated solution [...]