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11 Nov, 5 tweets, 2 min read
Disingenuous in the extreme. The UK / Johnson has been vacillating on the deal that is there to be done since June. Nothing fundamental has changed since then. It won't change in the next week either. It just needs the UK to accept FTAs limit policy space.
Thought I'd draw a picture in case it still wasn't entirely clear to the UK what a Free Trade Agreement entails. It isn't @Usherwood class but it should do.

Now if they could kindly make a decision since UK business could actually use some certainty. Image
Only 600 pages?! What kind of baby trade agreement is this...
Also wondering if the PM has realised that the longer he vaillates the more likely he is to be blamed for the outcome deal or no-deal, either accused of being forced into deal by the US election, or forced into no-deal by fear of backbenchers.
My policy space picture refers and explains why this statement is meaningless... Image

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More from @DavidHenigUK

David Henig Profile picture
13 Nov
Looks to me like the latest attempt by Downing Street to message that the EU needs to stop pressuring the UK or be to blame for no-deal. Will likely be seen as such. Doesn't change the dial, we know the UK needs to compromise on LPF, EU on fish thetimes.co.uk/edition/commen…
In an indeal world that we don't have the UK government would simply come out and say we accept Level Playing Field for a trade deal, but it can't either / both ERG pressure or more likely they still think there can be a deal without. Article also doesn't mention N Ireland / IMB.
Much talk of a government reset this morning. Certainly needed in personalities. Also needed in terms of accepting realities of what borders and trade deals are, the pressures we are putting the economy under, what global Britain can and can't be etc. theguardian.com/politics/2020/…
Read 7 tweets
David Henig Profile picture
12 Nov
There has definitely been a shift in mood music around UK-EU negotiations this week, a UK hardening of tone almost as a response to the widely held view that we would be under more pressure due to the election of President Biden.

But still no actual UK decision on deal or not.
Whatever happens the UK government has now backed its way into a no-win corner, seen to be either backing down to President Biden or unable to comprehend that all trade deals require sacrifices of policy space.
And even with the sovereignty folk that will inevitably blame the EU for anything, the failure of a UK government to make the EU back down is still not going to be a good look.
Read 6 tweets
David Henig Profile picture
12 Nov
Anguilla. Gibraltar. Falkland Islands. Forgotten problem territories of Brexit?

Comes to think of it, we hear rather more of Kent lorry parks than potential problems at Holyhead or Cairnryan.
Anguilla. mycountryeurope.com/politics/brexi…
Falkland Islands. en.mercopress.com/2020/06/25/uk-…
Read 8 tweets
David Henig Profile picture
12 Nov
Have been thinking for some time about whether there will be a New Year 'reset' by the UK government, badly needed in economy, trade where plans and philosophy veer between listless and unrealistic, but would require more competent, less hostile and ideological key individuals.
Key problems include unbelievably bad government-business relationships (increasing likelihood of major supply chains leaving UK) and economic policy challenged by covid rebuilding and levelling up without obvious pathways beyond public spending and freeports.
It isn't easy to see what any government can do to stiumulate particular parts of their economy in an age of global and regional supply chains, but a particular challenge for a government committed to raising barriers to 50% of trade. Tough questions to answer.
Read 4 tweets
David Henig Profile picture
11 Nov
Frankly I haven't heard of too many people in Westminster who think the central team around Johnson (Cain, Cummings etc) wouldn't be improved by substituting them for kindergarten attendees
Meanwhile in the real world the impacts of a poorly functioning government are starting to show
As I was saying...
Read 6 tweets
David Henig Profile picture
11 Nov
In danger of being lost amid the news chatter today, a rather useful Which exercise on what consumers want from trade deals. They want trade, but they also want high levels of protection. which.co.uk/news/2020/11/w… (disclosure, I participated with a factual introduction of UK trade)
Where I part company with campaigners such as @nickdearden75 - I believe trade is good, but it has to be subject to the right rules. And that what has happened since the 1990s is not about the wrong rules, but a new globalization of global supply chains driven by technology
That clip taken from an article quite rightly pointing out that President Biden doesn't mean the end of the discussion on whether a US trade deal is good for the UK. US trade policy is fixed and unfortunately rather hostile to trade not done in the US way theguardian.com/commentisfree/…
Read 6 tweets

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