Well this is quite the statement -

"The fact is the trading system has not delivered – by not being fair to people across the world or relevant to their lives"

Especially from a self proclaimed champion of free trade.
So why does the UK government think the current global system is unfair. Though not making progress on new issues is mentioned, the major issue is unfair subsidies. Where of course the UK record and recent history is somewhat mixed.
Of course not being naive this wouldn't be the first time UK speaking points on the problems of the global trading system seemed like a reworked version of what the US is saying - on WTO dispute settlement or the evils of China.
But even so for a Conservative Secretary of State for trade to have an anti-global trading system speaking point that could have been said by a pressure group like Global Justice Now is quite the turnround.

Looks like @nickdearden75 may have a new member...
Oh, suffice to say I don't agree with Liz Truss. The global trading system has delivered global economic growth and huge advances in consumer products and choice. National distribution of benefits on the other hand has been a rather different story...
Fortunately ministers are well trained not to laugh when one of their number says something like this purely for domestic consumption.

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More from @DavidHenigUK

31 Mar
I'm afraid the level of ignorance and deliberate misinformation in the UK about the EU is only getting worse. Provisional plans become permanent anti UK conspiracies, regulatory decisions even when shared with non-EU countries similarly.
And that's no kind of pro EU bemoaning, but a wish for objective news which too many in the UK media with anti EU sentiment now wish to avoid. Their view, I think, that the news used to be pro EU and now its their turn. Except the eurosceptic view was always reported.
Vaccines is such a good example. The anti EU voice is one long incompetence with no redeeming features leading (as ever) towards EU breakup. The balanced view isn't great for the EU, but would for example recognise regulatory decisions are not ridiculous.
Read 6 tweets
29 Mar
The boat is free and globalisation probably isn't dead. Again. bbc.co.uk/news/world-mid…
Useful for talking about the impact of the Suez Canal, and indeed potential decoupling from China, over 50% of UK goods imports form China by value come in these five categories. From an upcoming paper.
Modern globalisation explained - the ability to get specialists when you need them wherever they are (or to get cheaper production if that's the goal). You can regulate, but not switch it off.
Read 6 tweets
28 Mar
Catching up on end of week reading and I come across this, by some distance the sloppiest pile of meaningless buzzwords I've been unfortunate enough to read for many years. Cannot believe this was thought to deserve five pages in print. newstatesman.com/politics/uk/20…
"For example the low carbon production required by a green new deal cannot be achieved unless much of manufacture and service provision moves in the direction of a socially inclusive knowledge economy". Many words, no meaning.
"The UK has stopped making enough goods and services that the rest of the world wants". Lazy cliche without justification, and not backed up by any figures.

Continues ad nauseam for far too long in such a vein.
Read 4 tweets
27 Mar
So I am reading that the EU should change their approach to food checks on Great Britain Northern Ireland movements. I get the politics. But those advocating this have to realise it legitimises signing treaties in bad faith, which is quite a step.
The UK government knew in October 2019 of the checks they were committing to on Great Britain Northern Ireland trade. Trade experts told them. The DUP told them. They chose to sign anyway. Claiming otherwise is simply dishonest.
Those who say the government were trapped by the EU over Northern Ireland are also missing the point. That was the reality of 2019 which the government had to handle - the choice of Boris Johnson was to treat Northern Ireland differently.
Read 7 tweets
26 Mar
An important point is that the loss of trade, work and study opportunities with those countries nearest to the UK is not going to be offset to any significant degree by countries further away - the days of seamless exchange have gone.
That said if someone doesn't soon set up a GB / EU trade clearing house in Northern Ireland soon I'll be tempted to move and do it myself.

(This is also incidentally why any significant weakening of GB-NI checks under the protocol is problematic).
Another thread. Roads to global Britain lead via the EU. Rather inconveniently for the UK government there is a price to the anti-EU yelling and absurdly purist notions of sovereignty.
Read 4 tweets
26 Mar
We have to wonder the extent to which China and Hong Kong can now be considered a safe destination for any politician or business from the UK, EU or US. The implications of this for global trade and politics are significant.
Immediate thought - the extent to which removing Chinese two term limits and raising Xi Jinping on to a pedestal may have led to increased arrogance or carelessness - managing to quickly unite UK, EU, and US, against all previous policy.
This indeed. And while global trade cannot immediately exclude China, there's going to be a lot more efforts to move important production away with likely harm to China's attempts to move up the value chain.
Read 4 tweets

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