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Georgina Wright Profile picture
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7 Nov, 7 tweets, 2 min read
A Biden victory is good for the UK & Global Britain. Why? Quick thread:
1. Stable foreign policy outlook: Biden will want to break with an America first foreign policy. Recommit US to multilateral system, fight against climate change & building resilience. UK shares all these priorities.
2. *But* UK must present US with a plan: Biden’s immediate focus will be domestic (bring US together, tackle Covid). Many in Washington have been surprised at how “internally-focused” the UK has been for past 4 yrs with Brexit. They now want to know what Britain will do globally
3. Brexit: Biden wd *only* intervene in debate if the Brexit outcome threatens peace on the island of Ireland. Should that happen, prospect of UK-US deal wd diminish. But overall, I do not expect US intervention on Brexit.
4. UK-US deal: NOT straightforward. US negotiators are tough: want to increase market access for US agri/pharma. And see deal as a “foothold” in Europe (which they can then use in market access discussions with EU: “if UK has high standard but accepts our terms, why can’t you?”).
4b. [Incidentally, I don’t think UK-US FTA will be an immediate priority in UK or US].
5. UK place in Europe: UK-US special relationship (SR) long predates UK joining EU - but UK place in Europe matters to US. If UK turns away from Europe (unlikely), US may pick up phone to Paris/Berlin abt Europe - not UK. UK must show it remains an important player in Europe. END

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More from @GeorginaEWright

Georgina Wright Profile picture
15 Sep
This misreads the EU's position and the protocol. Thread:
1. Purpose: protocol designed to prevent a hard border between Ireland and NI: the only way to do that was to agree a UK-wide backstop (which PM rejected) OR ensure greater alignment between NI and Ireland & move admin procedures to the Irish Sea. PM negotiated the latter
2. Length: The protocol will apply even if there is an FTA – it’s just that certain provisions could be superseded (i.e. improved) by FTA. This is why FTA talks are so important. And why any attempt to unpick WA cd seriously jeopardise them.
Read 5 tweets
Georgina Wright Profile picture
12 Sep
Sorry to be a pedant but joint committee role isn’t to identity which GB products are at risk; rather it agrees which products are *NOT* at risk of flowing into EU market. If JC can’t agree, then *all* GB products entering NI will be deemed at risk (with some exceptions)
Sounds the same, but it’s not. UK worried that JC won’t come to an agreement. But as @BBCkatyaadler points out, EU want a deal & prepared to move. EU understands UK asks. Talks ongoing (and until this wk, were going well on the whole). No agreement yet. Just way negotiations go
Meanwhile other aspects of protocol cd be addressed (and therefore requirements lessened) in FTA. But EU has said it will only agree to FTA if *UK* sticks to its commitments under withdrawal agreement.
Read 4 tweets
Georgina Wright Profile picture
30 Jun
True that not all previous national security advisers (NSA) were "steeped in the security world" but they had worked on security files before taking over the post:
1. Before becoming NSA, @LordRickettsP was chairman of joint intelligence committee, UK permanent representative to NATO and Foreign Office PUS.

2. Before becoming NSA, Sir Kim Darroch was DG for Europe at FCO and Permanent Rep to the EU. Wd have involved security files.
3. Before becoming NSA, Sir Mark Lyall Grant was UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations. Would have involved a number of security files.

4. Before becoming NSA, @marksedwill was FCO Director for Afghanistan & Pakistan and had worked in Afghanistan.
Read 4 tweets
Georgina Wright Profile picture
7 Apr
Interesting. Want to know how the EU feels about it? Check out my latest for @instituteforgov:

instituteforgovernment.org.uk/blog/eu-are-co…
1. Inevitable: Most in EU think some form of extension is now inevitable. PM is in intensive care, chief negotiators are self-isolating. It is not clear negotiations will happen virtually - and lots of worry that businesses won't be able to adapt both to COVID & new UK-EU regime.
2. Process: it will be up to the UK-EU joint committee (JC) to decide terms (length, ££ contributions to EU budget, etc) by 1 July. EU must also secure member states' approval *before* it agrees to anything in the joint committee. Talks in JC and in EU27 won't be straightforward.
Read 6 tweets
Georgina Wright Profile picture
25 Feb
Is the draft EU #mandate that different to the final mandate for negotiations with the UK? Answer: not really but there are some interesting nuggets. Thread:
1. Application of WA as important as future UK-EU negotiations: ROI - UK must work well (BIG job for joint committee). Mandate does not mention GB-NI checks but member states will be watching.
2. Process: there will be parallel negotiations (you can imagine goods, security & fish all taking place at the same time). EU negotiators will work closely with the Working Party on UK (that's where EU27 diplomats meet inside the Council). They will also update EU Parliament
Read 17 tweets
Georgina Wright Profile picture
30 Jan
#Brexit postcard from Paris: what is France thinking? Thread
1. Brexit is not the EU's priority: like the UK, France does not want Brexit dominating the news. Most important EU decisions now are MFF & green deal. Other EU countries think the same as @Mij_Europe said y'day:
2. Trade talks will be far from easy: France (like rest of EU) knows UK wants to diverge - the key concern for France is how to prevent divergence from (i) undercutting EU business & (ii) disrupting trade flows. Trade-off is simple: lower standards, reduced market access.
Read 12 tweets

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