Press
Brexit: The impossible job? A guide to the roadblocks facing the PM
10 February 2018
The Guardian
Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform, said: “There is a growing sense in Brussels that because the British are raising new difficulties on the transition, it will not be possible to agree it at the March summit.” Lack of clarity on what the UK wants for the long term, Grant added, creates a risk that the EU will just dictate the terms of discussions from now on. “The longer the British delay saying what they want in terms of a future relationship, the greater the danger that the EU imposes something very narrow like a Canada-style agreement.”
Britain to world: Please pretend we are not leaving EU
08 February 2018
Financial Times
Sam Lowe, a research fellow at the Centre for European Reform, said the move marked a U-turn from previous British policy to renegotiate UK-only versions of the deals.“It is not great for our credibility as a reliable negotiation partner,” he tweeted.
Polityka Insight: Brexit
08 February 2018
Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for European Reform in conversation with Marek Świerczyński, Senior Analyst for Security Affairs, Polityka Insight.
BBC World Service - Newshour: Germany's coalition deal
07 February 2018
Sophia Besch, a research fellow a the CER speaks to BBC Newshour about Germany's coalition deal.
Theresa May can't afford red lines on Brexit
07 February 2018
Politico
Future relationship has to be a trade-off between rules and access.
Jacob Rees-Mogg and the shadowy group of Tories shaping Brexit
07 February 2018
The Guardian
Rees-Mogg asked Steve Baker to “confirm that he heard from Charles Grant of the pro-EU Centre for European Reform that officials in the Treasury have deliberately developed a model to show that all options other than staying in the customs union are bad, and that officials intend to use the model to influence policy?” Baker agreed with Rees-Mogg, although their effort to renew their attack on Treasury officials backfired when a recording emerged to show that supposed source Grant had not said the Treasury had developed such a model, instead making the more basic claim that the Treasury was determined to stay in the customs union.
Parliament Live: Exiting the European Union Committee
06 February 2018
John Springford, deputy director of the Centre for European Reform speaks at the Exiting the European Union Committee on why the Swiss model as it stands is not appropriate for the UK (from 10:42).
Brexit warning: Expert reveals Remainers will get their way on this KEY Brexit issue
06 February 2018
The Express
John Springford, deputy director of the Centre for European Reform, warned Britain may not have a clean break from the EU. He claimed Britain could remain stuck to the customs union after Brexit, despite Downing Street insisting Britain will "categorically" leave the customs union. Speaking on Channel 4 News, Mr Springford said: “I think it is very likely that Britain will remain in the customs union for longer than the two years of transition, which everybody is talking about.”
Rise of an English gentleman threatens the hardest of Brexits
06 February 2018
Bloomberg
“No government is okay with having a border that’s just open when they’ve got no arrangement with the people on the other side,” said Sam Lowe, a trade expert at the Centre for European Reform.
Britain is drowning trying to land trade deals
05 February 2018
The Evening Standard
Brexit equals new trade deals. With the US, with China, with India, with everyone. All that’s needed is a Royal Yacht, decent jam to sell and a “go get ’em attitude” — at least according to some of the loudest Leavers.
Brexit chaos shatters Theresa May's illusion of unity
05 February 2018
The Financial Times
Mrs May told reporters last week that the transition deal would be “a period of practical implementation” and denied reports that Mr Robbins had told EU negotiators that Britain wanted it to stretch for three years. “We are not talking about something that goes on and on,” she said. But veteran Europe watchers note that in Brussels, temporary arrangements tend to last longer than first anticipated. “I think three to five years,” says Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform.
EU trade partners demand concessions for Brexit transition rollover
05 February 2018
Politico
Samuel Lowe, a trade researcher at the Centre for European Reform, said that Britain would need to ask for the EU’s help to get all trade partners on board for the transitional plan. “The UK is simply not powerful enough to make such demands on its own,” he said. If Brussels was going to assist London in convincing trade partners, this would come at a cost, he said: “This gives the EU some good leverage.”
Theresa May tells Donald Trump not to launch trade war
05 February 2018
The Times
Sam Lowe, a trade expert at the Centre for European Reform, said that Mrs May’s call for British rules to stay “substantially” similar to those of the EU made a US deal harder. “Theresa May’s speech suggests that a US-UK deal is not a priority for her. She wants to stay closely aligned with the EU and it will be for future parliaments to diverge.”
Channel 4 News: UK will stay in EU 'longer than two-year transition'
05 February 2018
John Springford, deputy director of the Centre for European Reform, warned Britain may not have a clean break from the EU.
Fears grow that South Korea may demand concessions from Britain to replicate EU trade agreements
04 February 2018
The Telegraph
In a worst-case scenario where the EU deal was not rolled over for the UK during the transition period, South Korea will retain access to UK markets on favourable terms via the EU deal while the UK loses reciprocal access to South Korea, warned Sam Lowe, trade policy expert at the Centre for European Reform. “If Korea does put its foot down and does not grant the same preferences to UK exporters immediately, you could see their incentive for doing so. If they are looking to address their current account deficit, this is an easy way of doing so,” he said.
Tories are lying to the voters and themselves over Brexit
03 February 2018
The Times
In the Commons this week, Jacob Rees-Mogg, famously the gentleman, slandered a studious and respected think-tanker and some identifiable Treasury officials. He did this by repeating a piece of hearsay, echoing it back to the colleague he’d heard it from, so that parliament and the public could hear it too. Mr Rees-Mogg’s question showed signs of careful preparation and there will be speculation that the pair (the colleague was a minister) had colluded in this exchange. Perhaps. The involuntary wince on the face of the Brexit secretary David Davis spoke volumes. The story was entirely false. The House has now heard an apology from Rees-Mogg’s ministerial colleague. But from Gentleman Jake? From the man who published the story? Only slippery evasion.
'Treacherous Treasury' claims signal a new target for hard-Brexiters
03 February 2018
The Guardian
Rees-Mogg stood by his claim that in drawing up its Brexit plans, the Treasury was trying to influence the argument. He also said that Charles Grant, head of the Centre for European Reform, had been given improper briefings. “He is getting private briefings from the Treasury against government policy,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today. “This is very serious. It is not for officials to invent policy. With the referendum and with the EU, the Treasury has gone back to making forecasts. It was politically advantageous in the past. It is the same for them now. I do think they are fiddling the figures.”Grant said it was perfectly normal for officials to talk to think-tanks. “The Treasury cares about economics so it is naturally pushing for the sorts of Brexit that minimise the economic damage,” he said.
Polskie Radio: Straty W. Brytanii na wyjściu z Unii Europejskiej
03 February 2018
Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform speaks to Polskie Radio about transition period for Brexit.
Jacob Rees-Mogg says Treasury 'fiddling figures' on Brexit
03 February 2018
BBC News
In the Commons on Thursday, Mr Rees-Mogg asked Brexit minister Steve Baker to confirm whether he had heard that officials were deliberately trying to influence policy in favour of staying in the EU customs union.
He attributed the remarks to Charles Grant, the head of the Centre for European Reform.
On Friday, Mr Baker apologised to MPs for saying Mr Rees-Mogg's account of the remarks was "essentially correct".
Mr Grant had denied making them and an audio recording emerged where he did not say what was attributed to him.
He attributed the remarks to Charles Grant, the head of the Centre for European Reform.
On Friday, Mr Baker apologised to MPs for saying Mr Rees-Mogg's account of the remarks was "essentially correct".
Mr Grant had denied making them and an audio recording emerged where he did not say what was attributed to him.
Leading Brexiteer doubles down on claims civil service is 'fiddling the figures'
03 February 2018
Politico
Rees-Mogg suggested officials working in the UK Treasury were seeking to keep the country in the EU customs union, and asked Brexit Minister Steve Baker on Thursday to confirm the allegation based on an off-the-record conversation with think tanker Charles Grant, who heads the Centre for European Reform. Baker on Friday apologized to MPs for saying Rees-Mogg’s account of the remarks was “essentially correct.” Speaking to BBC on Saturday, Rees-Mogg stood by his original claim, saying: “With the referendum and with the EU the Treasury has gone back to making forecasts. It was politically advantageous for them in the past. It is the same now … So yes, I do think they are fiddling the figures.”