Mark Littlewood appears on Chopper's Brexit podcast

Mark Littlewood, Director General at the Institute of Economic Affairs has appeared on The Telegraph's Brexit podcast to discuss Brexit and the question of who funds think tanks. On Brexit, Mark argues that Brexit could be a great opportunity for this country if it is done well. There are medium to long-term gains that I ... Continue reading
Trade, Development, and Immigration

Victoria Hewson writes for CapX

Victoria Hewson, Senior Counsel at the Institute of Economic Affairs has written for CapX following the publication of her briefing on the possible models for leaving the EU. In the article Victoria argues that a 'Norway Plus' model of Brexit is legally fraught in the current forms of both the EFTA convention and the EEA ... Continue reading
Research

IEA publishes report on the EEA and EFTA models to leave the European Union

Summary:  There seem to be three broad variations to the EEA model: Not joining the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and ‘continuing’ as party to the EEA Agreement Joining EFTA, and then becoming party to the EEA Agreement as an EFTA member Joining EFTA as an Associate Member and then becoming an EFTA party to ... Continue reading
Trade, Development, and Immigration

Shanker Singham comments in The Telegraph

Shanker Singham, Director of the IEA's International Trade and Competition Unit has been quoted in The Telegraph today following the government's plans to cut tariffs in a no-deal scenario. In the article Shanker is quoted as saying that in the case of protecting British farmers, the Government could have adopted a first-come-first-served quota system of ... Continue reading
Government and Institutions
Those who voted for Brexit in the 2016 referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU rightly complained about the centralised political structures in Brussels. The slogan was “take back control”. Even for Remain supporters, like me, that was an understandable slogan given the avalanche of regulation that comes from Brussels that affects our daily lives. ... Continue reading
Trade, Development, and Immigration
Olly Robbins assertion, slightly embarrassingly overheard and reported by a journalist - that the government is planning to give MPs a choice between voting for the Withdrawal Agreement or facing a lengthy extension of Article 50 - has caused controversy today.  His other comments, that the backstop was intended to be a ‘bridge’, (something that ... Continue reading
Trade, Development, and Immigration

Rebecca Lowe appears on BBC Radio 4 Today

The IEA's Director of FREER Rebecca Lowe appeared on BBC Radio 4's Today Programme to discuss the International Trade Secretary's consideration of cutting import tariffs to zero in the case of a no-deal Brexit. Rebecca argued that lowering tariffs means: "More competition, more innovation, lower prices. "Exporters are usually importers too. We can reduce the ... Continue reading

Felix Hathaway writes for Brexit Central

The IEA's Research Assistant Felix Hathaway has written for Brexit Central on problems and solutions in the case of a no-deal Brexit scenario. "Take the risks around ports and ‘just-in-time’ supply chains. The fear here is that delays at ports, arising from either checks on regulatory compliance or additional customs paperwork, cause sufficient delays to ... Continue reading

No-Deal Fear-Checker, No. 9

The UK imports 30% of its food from the EU, an amount that will be at its peak in March due to the low availability of domestic fresh produce at that time. Much of it comes through the Calais to Dover ferry route or the Eurotunnel. As it stands, if we leave the EU without ... Continue reading

IEA release report on the effect of a "No-Deal" Brexit on food supply

Today the Institute of Economic Affairs launches another briefing in its series of ‘no-deal’ Brexit Fear-Checkers to help separate theoretical risks from reality; Project Fear from Project Fact. These short briefings look at a particular warning about the impact of leaving the EU without a deal, assess the problem, and outline what can be done to fix ... Continue reading