About: United Kingdom
Britain’s capacity market for electricity: Lessons for Europe
The UK’s market-wide capacity mechanism for electricity provides a solution to a supply problem that has yet to emerge, writes Phil Baker. A targeted strategic reserve is likely to be a more cost-reflective alternative, he argues.
A momentous decision on elephant ivory falls to Europe
China and the UK have joined the US in closing their domestic ivory markets. It is now time for the EU to follow their footsteps if we are to give Africa’s elephants a fighting chance to survive the current onslaught from global criminal syndicates increasingly involved in the poaching and distribution of ivory, argues Catherine Novelli.
Brexit turns into a constitutional crisis in Britain
Divisions across the UK's political institutions are turning Brexit into a major domestic constitutional crisis, writes Denis MacShane.
Strikes in Syria: first and foremost a political manoeuvre
The joint strikes in Syria launched by France, the UK and the US seem to have a symbolic rather than military purpose, writes Nicolas Gros-Verheyde.
Breaking down the barriers to renewable heating in the UK
Europe is the global leader in renewable heat, but there’s plenty of room for improvement. Being bottom of the class, the UK is a case in point, writes Marcus Franck.
A Pandora’s Box of headwinds for the UK’s global ambitions after Brexit
Despite the bombing of chemical weapon sites in Syria, along with France and the US, and the recent show of support from Western allies in the Skripal affair, Britain’s international clout will inexorably erode after Brexit, writes Pierre-Alain Coffinier.
Brexit financial services deal will be difficult
The industry has accepted that so-called “passporting” rights will not be possible after Britain leaves the EU. The concept of “equivalence” has been mooted as a solution but even agreeing to that will be difficult, writes Mark Boleat.
Ukraine is no blueprint for Brexit success
At first glance the Ukraine association agreement appears to realise the Brexiteers’ vision of greater sovereignty while maintaining close economic ties with Europe. But on closer inspection, it comes at a price that the UK will find impossible to pay, argues Beth Oppenheim.
Trump is no ally on trade for post-Brexit Britain
If there were any faint hopes that the deep cultural and commercial ties between the UK and the US would secure a sweetheart free trade deal for the smaller UK, they are now surely dashed, writes Noah Gordon.
Does the UK government even trust the British people?
Labour MP Geraint Davies writes that the Brexit debate is now shifting and that many promises have not materialised. British people who voted in good faith to leave the EU are now facing a number of impacts they simply did not expect.
Pro-Europeans in the UK have cause for optimism
2018 will be the most important year for the Brexit process. With just over a year to go until the UK formally leaves the EU, there is still all to play for, where pro-Europeans in the UK like Open Britain can take courage from recent political and economic events.
For the UK’s post-Brexit economy, no deal is the worst deal
As UK Prime Minister Theresa May teases the prospect of appointing a minister for a ‘no deal’ scenario during her cabinet reshuffle, Charles Rie and Marco Hafner outline the potential risks of Britain leaving the EU without an exit agreement.
Brexit set to dominate UK politics for years ahead
In March, Michel Barnier told me he had offered the UK a two-year transition period after April 2019 in which Britain could trade freely without tariffs or duties, provided London accepted existing EU rules and laws on social protection, environment and rights of EU citizens. Denis MacShane explains.
Brexit and the ghosts of Ireland’s past
Negotiations in Northern Ireland have a law of their own. The Good Friday Agreement came about after months of painstaking diplomacy between London, Belfast and Dublin. Brexit will be no different, writes Dr Melanie Sully.
Does return of EU growth weaken case for Brexit?
One of the more powerful arguments advanced in Britain by Eurosceptics – from hardline Brexit ideologues to polite rationalists who disliked many aspects of European integration - was that the European Union had a dreadful economic tale to tell this century, writes Denis MacShane.
Blind forces are in play in the Brexit talks
Anxieties and obsessions, arising from historic divisions in the British Conservative Party, have led to an artificially inflexible and brittle interpretation of the meaning of the 2016 Referendum result, writes former Irish Prime Minister John Bruton.
UK needs to put ‘efficiency first’ after release of Clean Growth Strategy
UK energy policy is in flux after its government last week launched its long-term Clean Growth Strategy for decarbonising the economy. Now is a good time to take stock and rethink energy policy, insist Jan Rosenow and Richard Cowart.
Small businesses at risk of being overwhelmed by data protection burden
With eight months until the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), the countdown is well and truly on but businesses are not ready, writes Mike Cherry.
Brexit and energy: A choice between economics and sovereignty
Britain will have to invest more in new electricity generating capacity and face higher prices in exchange for regaining its independence from the European Union, writes Philip Lowe.
Brexit-fuelled energy efficiency myths
Despite negative reports in the British press, EU regulations that cut the amount of energy wasted by household appliances are overwhelmingly popular throughout the UK, writes Dr Jonathan Marshall.
Cutting consumption is key to cutting energy bills
Westminster’s latest attempt to manage energy bills looks increasingly like an attempt to manage headlines about energy bills. Much more must be done to cut consumption, writes Tom Burke.
EU citizens in the UK: Second class
No more immigration from the EU is one of the UK government’s invented red lines for the Brexit negotiations. But what to do with those who have already immigrated? The UK's current proposal provides few satisfactory answers, warns Peter Sellar.
Be strong or die: Why Europe must become a superpower
The European Union desperately needs power. Not only to push forward but to survive, write Piotr Arak and Greg Lewicki.