Benjamin Fox with Alexandra Brzozowski Archives

As the chief EU adviser to David Cameron and then Theresa May, Ivan Rogers has seen the EU and British political class up close and knows where the bodies are buried. And hell hath no fury like a civil servant scorned.

Canada aside, Australia and New Zealand have been among the most enthusiastic about inking trade deals with the UK after it leaves the EU. International Trade minister Liam Fox, and his team, see the Commonwealth countries as ‘low hanging fruit’ when it comes to brokering new trade deals.

The European Parliament has a great talent for snatching defeat from the jaws of a PR victory.

China’s ‘Belt & Road’ initiative, a network of overland road and rail routes and maritime links meant to transport oil and gas from China to Europe, has been described as a 21st century silk road. But how long can it last?

Such is Emmanuel Macron’s ‘golden boy’ status that he is the subject of the Brief for two days in a row.

To most on the Calais side of the Channel, Brexit is a rejection of Europe and Europeans. They can, perhaps, draw a crumb of comfort that it’s not just them who are not welcome.

The House of Lords, with its ermine clad members, is hard to love. Unelected, the members have an average age of 69. A retirement home for political grandees and business moguls, it makes the House of Commons seem like a beacon of multi-cultural modernity.

Propaganda is as old as language, and political campaigning is a grubby old game. As long as there have been elections, politicians and their advisors have been lying to voters.

Today marks the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement – a political deal that put an end to decades of terror and tensions.

The EU’s migration pact with Turkey is one of the few successes in the bloc’s attempts to move together on migration.

Ask someone in the Brussels bubble what the biggest breakthrough in improving global health would be, and they will probably talk about the need for effective vaccines for malaria, HIV/Aids and tuberculosis.

The iconic Harley-Davidson is the most American of institutions. Incidentally, it is also one of the first targets in a transatlantic trade war.

Barring any last-minute hitches, this week’s EU summit will not burn much midnight oil, at least where Brexit is concerned.

Getting young people out to vote has frustrated national politicians across Europe for a generation.

Another day, another Groundhog Day debate on Brexit.

In the simplistic world of debate on global commerce, you are either a protectionist or a free trader. In truth, the free trade vs protectionist debate has always been something of a false dichotomy.

These are tough times to work in the development sector. Following the Oxfam sex scandal, several leading NGOs have fired employees and launched their own sexual misconduct probes. The revelations risk tarnishing the reputation of an entire industry.