In the Press - UK officials' new Trump dilemma: What if he loses?
31 July 2020
The New York Times
“In other words,” said Sam Lowe, a trade expert at the Centre for European Reform, “the chlorine chicken debate is here to stay.”
In the Press - Brexit red tape reality dawns on firms bracing for origin burden
30 July 2020
Bloomberg Quint
Negotiators may propose that Britain joins an agreement it has with several other nearby countries, including Turkey, Switzerland and Norway, known as the PEM convention, where inputs are recognized as local between all the parties, according to Sam Lowe, a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform. Joining would address some of the concerns of UK businesses, Lowe said.“The dream scenario is that the EU accepts the UK’s proposal, but that seems unlikely,” he said.
In the Press - Boris Johnson veut-il sortir le Royaume-Uni de son isolement?
26 July 2020
Le Journal du Dimanche
"Theresa May était enthousiaste à l'idée de trouver un accord ambitieux en matière de diplomatie et de sécurité, rappelle Ian Bond du Centre for European Reform.
In the Press - Boris Johnson's dream of a 'Global Britain' is turning into a nightmare
24 July 2020
CNN
Sam Lowe, a senior research fellow at the Center for European Reform, thinks Johnson and President Donald Trump could agree to a slimmed-down deal that "can be held up as a political victory on both sides of the Atlantic." But such an agreement won't move the needle from an economic standpoint.
In the Press - Ten months to save the UK: Boris faces May deadline to defeat Sturgeon - warning
23 July 2020
Express
Charles Grant, Director of Centre for European Reform, said Number 10 “are worried about Scotland” because Nicola Sturgeon’s Scottish National Party could do “very well” in the May 2021 Holyrood elections. He said Unionists are “praying” for Prime Minister Boris Johnson to strike a Brexit deal to save the future of the UK.
In the Press - UK abandons hope of US trade deal by end of year
22 July 2020
Financial Times
Sam Lowe, a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform, said the idea of a trade agreement has “dropped down the government’s agenda” in recent months. He said it was “pie in the sky” to have ever thought the two sides could reach a rapid deal — unless the UK conceded to Washington on everything from agriculture and scrapping its digital sales tax, to giving the US what it wanted on pharmaceutical patents and procurement. “It was always hard to see the government steamrolling that through,” said Mr Lowe.
In the Press - Morning Trade UK: Pompeo in town - Brexit gaps - Trade Bill vote
21 July 2020
Politico
“I don’t think the talks will fall apart — but the negotiators are clearly at an impasse,” Sam Lowe, a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform think-tank told Morning Trade UK. “The negotiators, and particularly David Frost, have reached the limits of what they are able to achieve … this is a political negotiation, not a technocratic one.”
In the Press - Fears EU-UK trade talks will bear no fruit until autumn
21 July 2020
Financial Times
Sam Lowe, trade expert at the Centre for European Reform, says not only would it lead to tariffs and quotas at the border but it would lead to wider complications to the post-Brexit relationship.“A free trade agreement increases the scope for bilateral easements,” he said, citing side-deals on issues such as financial services and data adequacy that would be easier to strike after a harmonious trade deal with Brussels.
In the Press - Safety experts warn that US trade deal must not include dangerous American cars
19 July 2020
The Independent
Sam Lowe, a trade policy expert and senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform, told The Independent he would expect a US trade deal to lift tariffs on American cars but that this might not lead to more on the roads. "The main reason US cars aren’t more popular in the UK and Europe isn’t necessarily tariffs or the need to meet more stringent standards, it’s that British consumers don’t like them very much," he said.
In the Press - Brexit vote hits leave areas the hardest
16 July 2020
Financial Times
John Springford, deputy director of the Centre for European Reform, which cancelled publication of a similar national estimate of the cost of Brexit, said that the technique would still be valuable for assessing the relative performance of different areas. “Even if the magnitudes are questionable,” he said, “if you are satisfied the comparators are reasonable, it is as good a way as any of getting a sense of the Brexit effect”.