In the Press - The chances of a Brexit deal between Labour and Tories seem small
17 April 2019
The Economist
Being in a customs union may indeed make it impossible to do independent trade deals for goods. But Sam Lowe of the Centre for European Reform, a think-tank, notes that this does not preclude deals on services, public procurement or immigration visas, even if it makes them harder.
In the Press - Brussels goes ahead with US trade talks despite French opposition
15 April 2019
The Telegraph
Sam Lowe of the Centre for European Reform said the step was an effort to “stall Trump” in the imposition of vehicle tariffs.
The step is “probably all the EU can do” and will not necessarily achieve more than a delay to tariffs coming into force, Mr Lowe added. He expects the levies to come into force, possibly before the end of this year.
It was a politically “clever” decision for France to vote against the mandate presented on Monday, as “they knew they could oppose it without stopping it happening” thanks to qualified majority voting, he added.
The step is “probably all the EU can do” and will not necessarily achieve more than a delay to tariffs coming into force, Mr Lowe added. He expects the levies to come into force, possibly before the end of this year.
It was a politically “clever” decision for France to vote against the mandate presented on Monday, as “they knew they could oppose it without stopping it happening” thanks to qualified majority voting, he added.
In the Press - How the City of London’s Brexit lobbying barrage failed
15 April 2019
Financial Times
The sector recognised how much it stood to lose if it did not keep its connections with the EU but the travelling caravan ruffled more than a few feathers. “There are lots of stories of arrogance . . . about the UK going round European capitals and saying ‘you need us’. That got people’s backs up,” said Sam Lowe, a trade expert at the Centre for European Reform think-tank.
In the Press - Theresa May CANCELS Easter break for Brexit negotiators to fight Nigel Farage
13 April 2019
The Mirror
The People’s Vote campaign says the economy shrunk by £40 billion to £51 billion a year compared to where it would be if Britain voted to stay in 2016. Economists at the Centre for European Reform say the £360 million a week black hole – more than the £350 million Brexit boost bus claim – hit tax revenue, deepening and extending austerity.
In the Press - Macron tests German patience in split over Brexit delay
11 April 2019
Reuters
“Franco-German relations are in a troubled period,” said Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform. He cited differences on euro zone reform, relations with the United States, EU defence policy and tax rules for the digital economy.
“More broadly, France wants Europe to be a power and therefore believes it needs radical reform,” Grant said. Germany is quite happy with the way the EU works at the moment.”
“More broadly, France wants Europe to be a power and therefore believes it needs radical reform,” Grant said. Germany is quite happy with the way the EU works at the moment.”
In the Press - No-deal Brexit: What it means, how it could happen, and how it might affect daily life in the UK
11 April 2019
The Telegraph
Charles Grant, the director of the Centre for European Reform, is confident that if the crunch comes EU member states will strike bilateral side-deals with the UK to cushion the blow. “For now the Commission is taking a strong line, but EU member states will have to look after their own interests”, he predicts.
In the Press - In Brexit delay, UK economy remains prisoner of uncertainty
09 April 2019
The Daily Mail
According to the Centre for European Reform, the British economy is 2.5% smaller than it would have been if the country had voted to remain in the EU, largely due to higher inflation and lower investment."The UK missed out on a broad-based upturn in growth among advanced economies in 2017 and early 2018 and the economic cost of the decision so far is sizeable," said CER's deputy director, John Springford.
In the Press - Brussels weighs risks of parting shots from Britain
09 April 2019
Financial Times
Charles Grant of the Centre for European Reform, a think-tank, argues the concerns over the UK “are overblown” given UK interests in maintaining goodwill with the EU, whatever government holds office in London,“The Jacob Rees-Mogg strategy of guerrilla warfare from within would preclude that,” said Mr Grant. “And if a hardline Eurosceptic government sought to provoke the EU into forcing the British out via a no-deal situation, parliament would not stand for it. Jacob Rees-Mogg can huff and puff and feel good about what he says but it’s not a strategy that will win support among MPs.”
In the Press - Le Pen and Italy’s right in joint assault on EU parliament
07 April 2019
The Sunday Times
Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform think-tank, is sceptical about the chance of unity. “There is something about far-right groups, a bit like Trotskyites on the left, that makes them fissiparous and unable to work together,” he said.
In the Press - Mark Carney still stands taller than Brexit's lost leaders
06 April 2019
The Guardian
One of the leading Remain think-tanks is the Centre for European Reform (CER), whose very name denotes an acceptance that all is not right with the EU. But its work shows that leaving is not the answer.Even before the calamity that almost certainly awaits us if King, Jacob Rees-Mogg et al have their way, the CER finds that in the period from the referendum on 23 June 2016 to December 2018, the UK economy became 2.5% smaller than it would have been if we had voted to Remain. The CER states: “The knock-on hit to the public finances is £19bn per annum – or £360m a week.” Does £360m a week remind you of another figure? That’s right: one of the many lies of the Leave campaign was that the NHS would benefit by £350m a week.