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David Henig Profile picture
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17 Jan, 4 tweets, 2 min read
On musicians rights to tour in the UK. The other obvious thing to say is that this was evidently not a UK priority in negotiations.
Maybe we could finally learn that trade agreements in the abstract or even as a large number that can be claimed as a triumph are meaningless, it is the content that counts, and that content has to be specific to UK interests.
True, but it is very much a scale. On which a Free Trade Agreement is 'less' free trade than a Customs Union, Single Market, or both. Why so many countries join their neighbours in such arrangements.
All of this. Above all, priorities. Published, and discussed in an open process. Trade policy shouldn't be easy, and if it is you're doing something wrong.

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More from @DavidHenigUK

David Henig Profile picture
19 Jan
MPs voting to weaken UK trade negotiating strength is sadly unsurprising. That is how you get to a position where the EU expects us to fold at the end point of negotiations and we do. Australia, New Zealand and the US will expect the same.
It is remarkable how little the UK government has learnt about trade negotiations since 2016. It still thinks secrecy and no detailed objectives gets good deals for the country. We have now seen how this fails. But still no change.
And in their failure to engage Parliament (and devolveds etc) properly in trade deals the government is rejecting the view of business, civil society, trade experts and the House of Lords. Impressive and unwarranted arrogance.
Read 6 tweets
David Henig Profile picture
19 Jan
"We have taken back control of our laws and our destiny"
You may note that trade with the 60-odd countries with which we have Free Trade Agreements does not appear to be making up for the new EU trade barriers.
So far the impacts of the new trade barriers with the EU are exactly as predicted by neutral specialists. And those GDP reductions do in fact have an impact on 'real people'.
Read 5 tweets
David Henig Profile picture
18 Jan
1. I have in the past frequently suggested that sectors most protected by trade agreements in every country are those with the ability to dump produce outside a country's Parliament
2. This hasn't taken long
3. Happy to take my share of surplus product
UK government shock that free trade agreement do not equal free trade, are not always universally welcomed by their own supporters, and the anti-trade backlash (which of course included the Brexit vote) does include UK post-Brexit trade policy.
Waits for the "but they were voting for global Britain" reply. Sure, of course they were. Just the export-only version. Like supporters of free trade in many countries.
Read 5 tweets
David Henig Profile picture
18 Jan
Today's UK-EU trade deal reflection - what is rarely stated in discussions about the deal's shortcomings is that they reflect UK government policy choices - in particular that control of immigration and a US trade deal are a higher priority than an EU deal.
Thus, why was it not a UK government priority to secure for UK musicians the rights to tour the EU? Because that would probably have required a reciprocal right to be given to those in the EU, which we didn't want to give. Choice.
Meanwhile why did the UK government not seek or secure a reduction in food inspections for GB products going to the EU? Because that would probably have required fixing food regulations in a way that might have been an obstacle to a US trade deal.
Read 8 tweets
David Henig Profile picture
17 Jan
Here's one for the self proclaimed free traders in the UK who denied a hard Brexit would mean a significant rise in trade barriers. How do you explain all the new charges and checks to exporters to the EU? amp.theguardian.com/politics/2021/…
Unfair of course. For those pressure groups and the UK government have simply redefined supporting "free trade" to mean sovereignty and raising trade barriers. The opposite of the normal definition.
So when do we get this column about those who claimed there wouldn't be trade barriers with the EU? I guess we won't as that would have to include the PM...
Read 4 tweets
David Henig Profile picture
15 Jan
On one hand, strong relationships between officials and others on both sides. On the other, not sure Biden has that much respect for the UK or Brexit, and Johnson shows no instinct for realistic foreign policy. I reckon the first will still prove stronger than the second.
Reckon the UK foreign office will be hoping to minimise the PM's actual engagement with the new President, being very happy to be able to return to engaging serious folk in the new administration. Who in turn respect UK officials expertise.
As for the symbolic UK-US trade deal (it has pretty limited economic value, and as many difficulties as benefits, but significant political value for Brexit) I think it could happen, once the new administration work out their approach to trade deals, presuming the UK will sign.
Read 4 tweets

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