In the Press - Johnson risks Whitehall backlash over ambassador’s downfall
10 July 2019
The Financial Times
Ian Bond, a former UK ambassador who is now foreign policy director at the Centre for European Reform, a think-tank, said: “The implication of comments made by Boris Johnson is that civil servants and diplomats will have to shape their reporting and prejudices if he gets to Number 10. What he is saying is: ‘If we don’t like your reporting or your advice, we won’t stand by you’.”
In the Press - Boris Johnson and Donald Trump's UK-US trade deal ‘will never happen’, Cabinet Minister warns
10 July 2019
The Huffington Post
Sam Lowe, a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform think tank, said: “If the UK wants to quickly conclude a trade agreement with the US it will need to accept nearly all of the US’s demands.“This is particularly true of agriculture and food hygiene issues, which the US views as a key aggressive interest.
In the Press - Greece's experiment with populism holds lessons for Europe
09 July 2019
The New York Times
Greece represented a special, wrenching case, but its experience showed that, especially for small countries, if you are in the eurozone, “you’re not free to run a radical financial policy,” said Charles Grant, the director of the Centre for European Reform. “The combination of EU rules and the financial markets forced a kind of orthodoxy on Greece, and will probably work similarly with Italy.”
In the Press - Merkel pierde el control de Europa
07 July 2019
El Pais
A pesar de todo, hay quien duda que el final de Merkel esté cerca. "La próxima semana será crucial para el futuro de Von der Leyen pero, pase lo que pase, no creo que se pueda colocar a Merkel entre las perdedoras de la última cumbre", señala Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska, analista del Centre for European Reform.
In the Press - Boris Johnson says he’s prepared for a no-deal Brexit. Critics say he’s reckless
05 July 2019
The Washington Post
Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform, said Johnson’s strategy could be to “put lipstick on the pig” — getting the EU to agree to minor adjustments to the existing deal but playing it up as a rewrite. “In practice it will be very similar to the previous deal,” Grant anticipated.
In the Press - Dealing with the Saudis
29 June 2019
The Week
“The Saudi-led incursion into Yemen is arguably the greatest humanitarian catastrophe in recent years,” said Beth Oppenheim in The Independent. Since 2015, when war broke out between Iranian-backed Houthi rebels and government forces supported by a Saudi-led coalition, it has left more than 100,000 people dead (including 11,000 civilians), and 22 million in need of humanitarian aid. It has also caused the worst cholera outbreak in history.
In the Press - Boris Johnson on Brexit in 6 quotes
25 June 2019
The Financial Times
Sam Lowe of the Centre for European Reform says: “The EU cannot fundamentally go along with this. They don’t trust the UK to pursue a trade relationship that will allow physical infrastructure to be voided at the border [across Ireland]. Mr Johnson is effectively saying: ‘Trust me.’ They don’t.”
In the Press - Leaving EU to bring 'more pain' to UK consumers
25 June 2019
The Belfast Telegraph
But the Brexit hit spreads far beyond consumers. The report quotes calculations by John Springford, deputy director of the Centre for European Reform, suggesting that the UK economy is 2.5% smaller than it would be had Britain voted to remain in the European Union.
In the Press - Can the Irish border 'trilemma' be solved? A new Brexiteer-focused group thinks so
24 June 2019
The Telegraph
Taken all together - checks, paperwork and surveillance - experts like Same Lowe, the trade specialist at the Centre for European Reform also question whether this would be “any less intrusive” or costly than a hard border with infrastructure.
In the Press - Cracks start to appear in Boris Johnson camp over Brexit strategy
24 June 2019
The Financial Times
"Clearly the aim is to appeal to hard Brexiter Conservative activists who have the final say on who becomes leader,” said Sam Lowe of the Centre for European Reform a think-tank. “But this doesn’t take away from the fact that many of his comments on possible Brexit options are simply wrong, as Liam Fox [the Eurosceptic trade secretary] has been quick to point out.”