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Dmitry Grozoubinski
@DmitryOpines
, 4 tweets, 2 min read Read on Twitter
Quick point: Faisal's Tweet makes it sound like @tradegovuk is going to spend 14bn flying Liam Fox around to explain negotiations to his counterparts. Obviously not the plan.

This will almost certainly be an Aid for Trade fund, delivered and managed day to day by consultants.
There are already multiple funds across the UK aid portfolio that work this way.

For example, the Trade Advocacy Fund 2 Plus is managed by AECOM for @DFID_UK and delivers a lot of trade related technical assistance.

aecom.com/projects/trade…
Quick explanation of how it works is:

UK government sets aside a pool of money, and establishes a set of objectives for that money.

It then tenders for an external fund manager whose job it is to find or create good projects in line with the fund's objectives and rules.
These projects are completed by external providers and consultants, and evaluated by the fund manager and UK government.
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More from @DmitryOpines see all

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Dmitry Grozoubinski
@DmitryOpines
1/ Since the UK is apparently getting some now, a thread on what free ports are.

In the simplest possible terms, Free Ports are designated areas around a commercial port into which imports can enter without paying tariffs until and unless they move deeper into the country.
2/ Let's say the UK decided to turn the entire seaside part of Dover into a Free Port.

Goods entering the UK via Dover but remaining under (Southeast) of the purple line wouldn't pay tariffs. Effectively the UK's customs border would move from the dock to the purple dotted line.
3/ "What's the point?"

The advantage of a Free Port is factories and warehouses located inside it don't have to undergo customs or pay tariffs on their inputs.

It pushes back a country's customs borders to the point where they only start once your stuff leaves the Port area.
Read 7 tweets
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Dmitry Grozoubinski
@DmitryOpines
1/ The specter of No-Deal loomed closer today, and businesses aren't ready.

The new Prime Minister didn't so much as hint at any new offer to the EU, only a restatement of the same ultimatum:

Remove the backstop from the Withdrawal Agreement, or face a chaotic UK departure.
2/ Moreover, he hardened his position beyond that of the Tory Party even a few months ago.

The problem with the Backstop is no longer that it's potentially inescapable, but that it is inherently "anti-democratic".

A time limit or unilateral exit mechanism won't do.
3/ There is only one scenario under which a deal emerges under Mr Johnson's stated conditions:

The EU was bluffing the entire time. It, collectively, lacks the stomach for No-Deal and the past two years have been a long-con to avoid it without visibly sacrificing the GFA.
Read 11 tweets
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Dmitry Grozoubinski
@DmitryOpines
The @WTO Director-General manages 625 people. He has no discretionary authority to create, enforce or interpret trade rules.

But hey, if the Prime Minister wants to skip Brussels, Paris and Berlin to come hang with me by the lake in Genf, I'll start mixing the Aperol Spritz's.
Also, the WTO shuts the hell down in August. Today and tomorrow are the final General Council meetings before the summer break.

Seriously, they all bloody leave. It's a ghost town.

Everyone in the city just points their call forwarding at each other and fucks off.
So to summarize, the proposal here is that the incoming Prime Minister "sends a message" by ditching EU capitals for Geneva, to hang out in a largely empty building chatting to an international civil servant with no authority whatsoever over Britain's post-Brexit fate.
Read 4 tweets

Related threads

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Matthew Gertz
@MattGertz
"Just got back only to hear" = "I turned on the television, pulled up the latest Fox show on my TiVo, and saw."

Left, Fox's The Story, 7:02 p.m.
Right, Trump, 7:32 p.m.
The second tweet makes this abundantly clear, that segment led into the Swalwell interview.

Left, Fox's The Story, 7:06 pm.
Right, Trump, 7:43 p.m.
Last night Hannity said he'd use tonight's show to lay out what questions he would ask Mueller if he were a congressman. Assume some actual congressmen end up using them tomorrow. mediamatters.org/blog/2019/07/2…
Read 3 tweets
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David Henig
@DavidHenigUK
Let's look in more detail into what the UK's failure to roll over existing trade deals for the UK's trade policy post-Brexit - because it significantly complicates plans for new deals 1/
First of all in the event of a deal - we don't know if all existing EU trade agreement partners will agree to continue treating the UK as part of the EU, and we will have a much reduced power to raise issues as part of the agreement - more here 2/ ukandeu.ac.uk/wp-content/upl…
Notwithstanding the lack of clear route out of a customs union in a deal situation Liam Fox had expected to start talks with the US, Australia, New Zealand, and Australia. But we will also need to replicate existing arrangements 3/
Read 11 tweets
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Joe Oliver
@joe_oliver
If we're going to dig into history I think this point is at best half right? I *think* the Conservatives were still against the Assembly being established in 1999 and ran on a platform opposing it with David Cameron/Nick Bourne finally dropping this c.2005?
And indeed, recorded in Hansard (see for example column 897 here) are Theresa May's own votes against the Government of Wales Bill, after the 1997 referendum where she says 'the result was accepted by both sides' hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/1997-1… (cc. @PickardJE @SDoughtyMP )
Slightly easier link to follow here. On a quick look other Tories voting against the Welsh Assembly after the referendum with Theresa May included Liam Fox, John Redwood, Bill Cash, Bernard Jenkin.. hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/1997-1…
Read 12 tweets
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David Henig
@DavidHenigUK
This summary of US negotiating objectives for EU trade makes for an interesting read - not in terms of those negotiations, which are dead on arrival on this basis, but for the country who's next - the UK... 1/ ustr.gov/sites/default/…
Number one negotiating objective - the US trade balance in goods. That sound you hear is 99% of US economists and supporters of free trade weeping at the economic illiteracy of it... 2/
The US has a small goods trade surplus with the UK so we may be ok. But they're not even trying to pretend this is balanced any more - US expects duty-free on textiles but doesn't expect to give it... 3/
Read 13 tweets
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Crash Translation
@GTElephant
So, it's about time I finally did it. Join me as I play Thief: The Dark Project; I've never got further than The Sword before. Thanks to the No Spiders mod from @adurdin I hope to actually finish it this time. #ThiefTDP
I'll be playing Thief Gold. I have multiple copies of The Dark Project but they'd require me to dig through boxes to find. Thief Gold is the only one reliably available online. I am reserving the right to level skip past the Thieves Guild, though. #ThiefTDP
I'll be using the New Dark version, but sticking to a 4:3 aspect ratio. #ThiefTDP
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