Press
Brexit shrank UK services exports by £110bn, academics find
31 May 2021
Financial Times
“Behind the scenes the effect [from leaving the EU] is clearly showing up in the data,” said John Springford, deputy director of the Centre for European Reform think-tank, citing his own research and figures from the Office for National Statistics, the London School of Economics and the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change. He said the data showed the UK’s trade with the EU had fallen by a fifth because of Brexit. “Brexit has already made Britain poorer compared to a branch of history in which Britain remained in the EU — or indeed in the single market,” he added.
Britain's trade deals lack transparency
28 May 2021
The Economist
A more justifiable fear for British farmers, suggests Sam Lowe of the Centre for European Reform, a think-tank, is that the deal becomes a model for bigger future ones with Latin America and the United States.
Macron's recipe for fair-trade food
28 May 2021
Politico
Sam Lowe, a trade expert at the Centre for European Reform, said that while rules relating to the standards of a final product — for example, on food safety — were "fairly well understood, the more tricky issue is rules around processing and production methods."He said that while EU leaders could have some room for maneuver, these kinds of restrictions are "much more difficult to justify in a WTO-compatible manner" and largely dependent on how well the EU plays its trade cards.
CER podcast: Political repression in Belarus and what the West can do about it
28 May 2021
Ian Bond speaks to Katia Glod about the latest wave of repression in Belarus and what the West can do to help.
Aussie farmers are caught in the crossfire of the never-ending Brexit wars
26 May 2021
The Telegraph
As Sam Lowe, an even-handed trade expert at the Centre for European Reform, recently wrote: “An Australian deal probably means the UK is going to offer the same to New Zealand. But beyond that – it is not so clear. Lots of countries will want to retain tariffs to shield their own food producers, and it is unlikely that the UK will offer them full tariff free access in the absence of reciprocity.”
UK borrowing falls in April, to £31.7bn, as Covid-19 costs remain high – business live
25 May 2021
The Guardian
The slump in UK-EU goods trade this year shows the impact of Brexit, says John Springford of the Centre for European Reform: The ONS: trade in goods with the EU down 23% in the first quarter of 2021, compared to the first quarter of 2018.
A trade deal with Australia will have little impact, but it raises big questions about the UK's trade policy
24 May 2021
The House
The British government is going to need to work harder if it is to keep enough people onboard with its trade agenda.
Euronews: UK government 'divided' over possible trade deal with Australia
24 May 2021
Sam Lowe, a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform, an independent think-tank, told Euronews that the debate at the heart of the UK government is about how much access Australia should be offered.
UK farmers launch blistering attack on government over Australian trade deal as Johnson insists it's not a threat
22 May 2021
Politics Home
Sam Lowe, a trade expert at the Centre for European Reform, said the impact of the proposed trade deal on the British market would be minimal as it was unlikely to lead to a huge increase in meat imports from Australia.
The “bigger question,” he said, was whether it was a sign of how the government would approach trade negotiations with bigger economies like the US and Brazil, which will also want greater access to the UK’s agricultural markets.
The “bigger question,” he said, was whether it was a sign of how the government would approach trade negotiations with bigger economies like the US and Brazil, which will also want greater access to the UK’s agricultural markets.
Australia trade deal: Edwin Poots 'strongly opposes' zero tariff deal
22 May 2021
BBC News
Sam Lowe, a trade expert at the Centre for European Reform, said this is because of the protocol's rules on tariffs.
"Imports into Northern Ireland can only make use of the UK's trade deals if the difference between the applied UK tariff and the applied EU tariff is less than 3% of the value of the good.
"Imports into Northern Ireland can only make use of the UK's trade deals if the difference between the applied UK tariff and the applied EU tariff is less than 3% of the value of the good.
Die neue Lust am Schuldenmachen – nur, wofür?
22 May 2021
Der Spiegel
Jetzt sind die Briten raus – und nach Schätzungen des Center for European Reform (CER) hat das allein in den ersten drei Jahren nach dem Votum zu rund drei Prozent Verlust an Wirtschaftsleistung geführt. Da wären weniger Austerität und mehr Schulden am Anfang womöglich billiger gekommen.
CER podcast: How can Europe decarbonise road transport without sparking backlash?
21 May 2021
Sam Lowe discusses Europe's attempts to decarbonise road transport with Elisbetta Cornago.
European Commission proposes ‘optimistic’ corporation tax reforms
20 May 2021
Public Finance Focus
The commission said the ongoing negotiations led by the OECD, with consensus on a new international tax system expected in the coming months, should give its plans momentum. But this is “too optimistic”, according to Zach Meyers, research fellow at the Centre for European Reform think-tank.
Trade experts play down Australia trade deal concerns
20 May 2021
The Grocer
Sam Lowe, a trade specialist at the Centre for European Reform think tank, similarly questioned the premise that dropping tariffs on Australian food would lead to floods of cheap meat on UK shelves.
“What if Australian exporters are happy selling all over Asia?” he said in a trade newsletter this week. “And what if Australian exporters want to sell their higher-end food products to the UK, not the cheap stuff? And what if Australian imports are just as likely to displace EU food imports?”
“What if Australian exporters are happy selling all over Asia?” he said in a trade newsletter this week. “And what if Australian exporters want to sell their higher-end food products to the UK, not the cheap stuff? And what if Australian imports are just as likely to displace EU food imports?”
Rociito y el Estado de derecho
17 May 2021
El Periodico
España tendrá unas cuantas cosas que explicar cuando la UE ponga en marcha su mecanismo de supervisión del Estado de derecho.
UK government split over Australia trade deal
17 May 2021
Financial Times
Sam Lowe, the trade specialist at the Centre for European Reform think-tank, said NFU fears about the effects of an Australian deal were overstated, given that exports volumes were currently quite small. But the deal would set important precedents for future negotiations with the USA and the Mercosur block in Latin American countries, which includes Brazil, a big beef producer.
Brexit has cost Britain nearly £16 billion since 2016, experts estimate
13 May 2021
The London Economic
The Centre for European Reform estimates that quitting the single market and customs union at the end of December 2020 reduced UK trade by £7.7 billion – roughly 11 per cent – in March. This came on top of a further £8 billion hit to trade between the referendum, in June 2016, and quitting the single market – a period which saw a significant fall in the value of Sterling.
Brexit has cost UK economy almost £16bn in trade since 2016, report finds
13 May 2021
The New European
The Centre for European Reform (CER) estimates that leaving the single market and customs union at the end of 2020 has reduced UK trade by £7.7billion, or 11%, since March.
Turkey-style deal for Libya to stop migration to Europe 'not feasible'
13 May 2021
The National
Luigi Scazzieri, an expert on EU foreign policy at the Centre for European Reform, told The National a Turkey-style deal was out of the question because it would involve housing migrants in Libya. “The way the deal with Turkey works is that migrants and refugees who arrive in Greece and did not qualify for asylum were returned to Turkey,” he said.
Die Briten staunen über Michel Barnier
13 May 2021
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
“ In den Jahren der Austrittsverhandlungen hatten die Brexiteers Barnier als unbeugsamen Kritiker eines neuen britischen Nationalismus wahrgenommen. Für die meisten Remainer war Barnier dagegen die Stimme der Vernunft. Jetzt nennt John Springford vom EU-freundlichen „Centre for European Reform“ Barniers Vorstoß „absurd und unglaublich schädlich“.