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David Henig 🇺🇦 Profile picture
@DavidHenigUK
Sep 15, 2020 • 11 tweets • 3 min read • Read on X
A former Irish Ambassador retweeting a former French Ambassador, half in condemnation half in sorrow about the UK government. Once upon a time this would have mattered deeply to any UK government.
The UK neglect or at times deliberate antongism towards countries of the EU since 2016 has been wholly unnecessary and will in time be quite counter productive. I can recall a Minister (then and now) being rude to a question from a lead Swedish business figure in 2018.
EU countries will always be our neighbours and major trade partner. We'll need things from them. We have absolutely no credit in the bank because ministers and key advisers have treated them with contempt, leaving diplomats to try to pick up the pieces.
And of course there are knock on effects, because who knew EU countries talk to others? Like Ireland talking to the US. Or every country that wants to do business with the EU. Maybe slowly, but you can't be global Britain while being gratuitously rude to the neighbours.
And I think to rebuild relations with the neighbours those in the UK obsessed with the failures of the EU are going to have to become marginal (just like if there's a Labour government those obsessed with US failings). Don't see it happening any time soon sadly.
But but but there are votes in "they're on the side of the EU"...

Tough challenge for Labour because blatant nationalism like this has an audience.

But not in Scotland. Not in international business. Not in diplomacy.
Small practical example. Liam Fox did not vote for the government yesterday, presumably it isn't a good look for a wannabe DG of an international organisation to vote for legislation saying we don't have to follow the rules of that organisation.
This Prime Minister will think it is a game, that he can threaten the EU then treat them as if nothing untoward really happened. And those leaders will smile and exchange pleasantries. And then hope they have a chance to undermine him. At least it isn't real war.
Those queues are going to be longer without EU cooperation... theguardian.com/politics/2020/…
Some UK sources are claiming the threat to breach international law is helping EU talks, which of course is what they hope. But in Brussels this kind of conversation appears to be more common. No deal without UK backtracking.
And here's an even stronger take from within the EU policy community. This is what people are saying about the UK. Does this matter to us? It should.

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More from @DavidHenigUK

David Henig 🇺🇦 Profile picture
May 19
Since I'm feeling generous, shall we take Conservative and Reform opposition to today's UK-EU agreement at its word and see what would happen - assuming of course this government actually completes what is currently merely intent.

Clue... back to Brexit chaos... 🧵
Let's start with SPS, a future Conservative / Reform government pulls out of alignment, so immediately barriers come back up between Dover and Calais, and indeed GB and NI (we'll come back to the latter). Exports fall again, and imports need to be checked again...
Free to set our own SPS rules, Reform accepts US food standards and does some further trade deal, the Conservatives don't. In the first case, revolt in the countryside, in the second, merely more turbulence without any extra trade deals, in both, few extra exports to the US
Read 7 tweets
David Henig 🇺🇦 Profile picture
Apr 14
"UK political culture seems to be fixated on maintenance of the ‘special relationship’ just as much as it is on treating relations with the nearby European Union with scepticism".

That has implications for UK trade policy.

My latest @ECIPE blog. ecipe.org/blog/trumps-ta…
A mid-sized power can't have everything, and the UK prioritising the special relationship means we can't be open trade leader for fear of causing offence to DC. That choice wasn't supposed to happen in the world of Brexit, but unfortunately the US had other ideas.
This is a subtlety between the UK wanting to trade with everyone and having favoured partners. The first is fine as a general principle, but the second happens rather easily without considerable care to take a principle-based approach.
Read 4 tweets
David Henig 🇺🇦 Profile picture
Apr 2
Welcome to US tariff day during which a lot will be written and most of it won't be quite right. What we know - the US will impose arbitrary ("reciprocal" only in name) tariffs on most or all goods entering the country, on top of others already announced. 1/n
US tariffs are being imposed because President Trump likes tariffs. There is no economic logic. There are many stated reasons including encouraging US manufacturing, narrowing the trade deficit, due to unfairness of others, and raising revenue. None are convincing.
Tariffs will harm the US economy. All reputable economists will agree to this. As with any populist leader, some individuals will seek preferment over reputation. These tariffs will also be contrary to WTO rules, and trade deals the US including Trump previously signed.
Read 9 tweets
David Henig 🇺🇦 Profile picture
Jan 23
My morning has been pemmed. Which is fine, I've advocated for the UK joining, talked to relevant folk in the EU, heard businesses who it could help, etc. Problem is - this should be completely obvious. Every country in the region is a member. Why is it so hard for the UK?
Leavers don't care about PEM. Few businesses will lose, far more will gain. Third countries like Switzerland and Morocco want the UK to join. Yes nobody knows for sure why we didn't previously join, or why it isn't a priority now.
Until the UK does the obvious stuff like PEM, forget having a meaningful trade policy still less any meaningful EU reset. Got to take the baby steps first...
Read 4 tweets
David Henig 🇺🇦 Profile picture
Oct 3, 2024
What you seem unlikely to read elsewhere - yesterday's Starmer - von der Leyen meeting was successful, and had the right outcome - a commitment to regular ongoing summits, and joint working to prepare them.

No flounces, no talk of special deals. Normality theguardian.com/politics/2024/…
To those complaining about the UK's lack of detail - a lazy, uninformed complaint. The EU doesn't (yet) have a mandate, the UK doesn't (yet) need to have all the asks. Both need to come in time. That will be the test of the next few months, now was not the time. As was agreed.
Those saying this is going nowhere until the UK implements everything in full, that message was received and @NickTorfaen explicitly said this at an EU reception at Labour Conference. Labour's messaging hasn't been perfect to date, it has though been good enough.
Read 10 tweets
David Henig 🇺🇦 Profile picture
Jun 20, 2024
Three days in Brussels mostly talking UK-EU relations after the elections with various folk on all sides, but also hard to get away from US-EU-China talk, or concerns about the direction of travel for the EU. So what were my top 10 findings? Settle down for a thread 🧵
1 - though far from top priority, the EU will happily engage with the UK. There's interest in what a new government will do. But they also expect their own interests - recently youth mobility, and fishing - to be taken seriously. Where there's overlap - security - expect progress
2 - the UK has to prepare for a really tough ongoing engagement with the EU. This will not be a single negotiation but a series of small encounters, mini-deals, cooperations etc. Unless Labour red lines change. A new narrative for the relationship - but only in part.
Read 15 tweets

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