Brexit pessimists are having a field day following official confirmation that UK exports to the EU slumped in January – and they have a point. Anything that increases the cost of doing business across borders was always likely to reduce trade. Nonetheless, the first month’s trade figures after the end of the transition period are … Continue reading Is Britain winning or losing from Brexit?
Category: Trade policy
Have UK exports to the EU really been ‘slashed by 68%’?
The lead in Sunday’s Observer (7th February) was ‘Fury at Gove as exports to EU slashed by 68% since Brexit’. If this headline is right, this is indeed a ‘Brexit disaster’. Fortunately, some basic due diligence suggests that it’s over the top. The Observer claims that ‘the volume of exports going through British ports to … Continue reading Have UK exports to the EU really been ‘slashed by 68%’?
More state intervention is not the answer to reviving our economy
Many people argue that the Covid crisis has demonstrated the need for government to take a bigger role in the economy, in good times as well as bad. When asked to suggest five policies to help the recovery their ‘wish lists’ are therefore full of ways in which the state could do even more. In … Continue reading More state intervention is not the answer to reviving our economy
A ‘thumbs up’ to the Brexit deal
The agreement reached between the UK and the EU is as good a deal as we were ever likely to get. I will leave others to comment in detail on the legal and technical aspects, but here are five key points (my personal views) on the economics. First, it important to be clear about the … Continue reading A ‘thumbs up’ to the Brexit deal
Plain-speaking Economics 