Exports have become a political football: We must change the way we look at trade LARGELY missing from the debate surrounding the Autumn Statement was a discussion of exports and the UK’s trade picture more generally. Ed Balls got in a brief ribbing about the supposedly stunted performance of UK exports and the progress to date in achieving the government’s aim of an “export-led recovery”. And the package of help [...]
Holiday pay ruling: Three ways it will harm business Long after it was agreed, the EU Working Time Directive continues to pose a significant headache for business. Yesterday’s ruling by the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) on holiday pay has its roots in a separate but related judgment from the EU Court of Justice (ECJ) earlier this year. It will continue to reverberate across the [...]
As David Cameron pledges action against EU immigration, is UK protectionism growing? Allie Renison, head of Europe and trade policy at the Institute of Directors, says Yes. It’s increasingly apparent that immigration will be at the forefront of David Cameron’s intended renegotiation efforts, and at the heart of the debate in any future referendum. But freedom of movement should not be the big red-line issue when there are [...]
Labour must stop playing politics with Europe – and come up with a real EU vision September 25, 2014 Under Ed Miliband, Europe has somewhat fallen by the wayside as a priority policy issue for Labour, just as it has rapidly escalated in importance for the Conservatives. What some would call the Tories’ unhealthy fixation with the EU has led to a Labour approach that often disproportionately focuses on the politics of the debate, [...]
Global free trade faces a fragmented future – but we shouldn’t give up yet August 7, 2014 What is the point of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the global body dedicated to helping trade flow smoothy and freely across the world? Before the collapse of talks last week on implementing an agreement on global trade facilitation, lauded at the time of its inking as a historic turning point for an increasingly moribund [...]
Cameron’s Juncker defeat may be good for EU reform June 29, 2014 IN WHAT could be called his concession speech, following the EU Council’s unprecedented vote to nominate Jean-Claude Juncker as the European Commission’s next president, David Cameron was right to frame it as only one of many engagements with Europe. The trouble is that the sheer volume of energy spent on the campaign to fight Juncker [...]
