Press

LBC: No deal Brexit GATT 24

Sam Lowe
26 June 2019
The no deal Brexit GATT 24 debate feels like a diversion, Sam Lowe , a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform tells Iain Dale on LBC – it would require an agreement, and it wouldn’t deal with no deal regulatory barriers/checks/documentation anyway.

Labour ducks full backing of a People's Vote yet again despite overwhelming support

25 June 2019
The European
In an impassioned speech to the Centre for European Reform, Tom Watson has said: "My party should be making the case for staying in the EU loudly and proudly." But he lamented that "our belief in the EU has been whispered, not shouted".

Boris Johnson on Brexit in 6 quotes

Sam Lowe
25 June 2019
The Financial Times
Sam Lowe of the Centre for European Reform says: “The EU cannot fundamentally go along with this. They don’t trust the UK to pursue a trade relationship that will allow physical infrastructure to be voided at the border [across Ireland]. Mr Johnson is effectively saying: ‘Trust me.’ They don’t.”

Leaving EU to bring 'more pain' to UK consumers

25 June 2019
The Belfast Telegraph
But the Brexit hit spreads far beyond consumers. The report quotes calculations by John Springford, deputy director of the Centre for European Reform, suggesting that the UK economy is 2.5% smaller than it would be had Britain voted to remain in the European Union.

UK needs to boost India relations to seal trade deals

Sam Lowe
24 June 2019
The Financial Times
Sam Lowe, a trade expert at the Centre for European Reform, a think-tank, has argued that “if the UK is to become a global services trading hub, it will need to create an immigration regime which prioritises enticing people in over keeping them out”.

Ireland backstop issue: New plans for frictionless border ‘within three years’

Sam Lowe
24 June 2019
The Times
Sam Lowe, from the Centre for European Reform, warned that it would create “two tax and regulatory borders”. He added it would also require Ireland to create a new tax and regulatory border within Ireland.

Brexit has heaped pain on UK economy and more damage is highly likely, researchers warn

24 June 2019
The Independent
The report quotes calculations by John Springford at the Centre for European Reform suggesting that the UK economy is 2.5 per cent smaller than it would be had Britain voted to remain in the European Union. The research by Mr Springford, published in March, puts a figure on what this reduction has meant for government finances.  

Cracks start to appear in Boris Johnson camp over Brexit strategy

Sam Lowe
24 June 2019
The Financial Times
"Clearly the aim is to appeal to hard Brexiter Conservative activists who have the final say on who becomes leader,” said Sam Lowe of the Centre for European Reform a think-tank. “But this doesn’t take away from the fact that many of his comments on possible Brexit options are simply wrong, as Liam Fox [the Eurosceptic trade secretary] has been quick to point out.”

Can the Irish border 'trilemma' be solved? A new Brexiteer-focused group thinks so

Sam Lowe
24 June 2019
The Telegraph
Taken all together - checks, paperwork and surveillance - experts like Same Lowe, the trade specialist at the Centre for European Reform also question whether this would be “any less intrusive” or costly than a hard border with infrastructure.

Europe’s unflattering view of Boris Johnson

Camino Mortera-Martinez
24 June 2019
US News
"He might be able to pull a rabbit out of his hat," says Camino Mortera-Martinez, a Brussels-based senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform, a London think tank.

Who will get EU’s top jobs? Bloc must decide how to fill them first

Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska
21 June 2019
The New York Times
“You could eventually end up with someone not ambitious enough, because if you want to satisfy everyone, you might be looking at the lowest common denominator,” said Agata Gostynska-Jakubowska, a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform in Brussels.

BBC Radio 4 - PM: EU negotiations with Switzerland

Sam Lowe
20 June 2019
Sam Lowe, a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform spoke to the Radio 4 PM programme on the EU negotiations with Switzerland (from 51 mins).

Judy Asks: Is the Iran nuclear deal salvageable?

20 June 2019
Carnegie Europe
Probably not. Iran has warned it will violate the deal by the end of June unless the EU, Russia, and China deliver on their pledge to provide relief from US sanctions.

UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia have been found unlawful – this could end the war in Yemen

Beth Oppenheim
20 June 2019
The Independent
The UK knew the Saudi-led coalition was bombing Yemeni civilians and yet it carried on selling arms. Why has it taken legal action to force the British government to abide by national, EU and international law?

UK exporters given £6.8bn of support last year Government says backing helped to maintain 47,000 British jobs

Sam Lowe
20 June 2019
The Financial Times
Sam Lowe, a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform, said UKEF’s increased activity was welcome. “It falls into the category of things we could have done before Brexit but have more prominence now because there has been an increased focus on trade. We are paying a lot more attention to this sort of thing which is good.”

CER podcast: The Big European Sort? The diverging fortunes of Europe's regions

Christian Odendahl, John Springford, Beth Oppenheim
19 June 2019
Beth Oppenheim talks to John Springford and Christian Odendahl about regional divergence across the EU.

Huawei or the high way

19 June 2019
Financial Times
Ian Bond at the Centre for European Reform calls on the EU to keep trade policy and national security tools separate when it comes to dealing with Huawei. 

The Franco-German tussle at the heart of who will lead the EU

Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska
19 June 2019
The Guardian
“The Franco-German relationship hasn’t been plain sailing for quite a while so it is not a big surprise that the leaders clash over who will become president,” said Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska, a senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform think-tank.

'There's still time to stop Brexit' - Watson in new push to get Labour to unequivocally back People's Vote

17 June 2019
The New European
In a keynote speech to the Centre for European Reform, Watson will say Labour's members and its values had always been pro-European, and that "our hearts are Remain".He will argue the only way to break the Brexit deadlock at Westminster, is to put the issue back to the people in a new public vote in which Labour would campaign "proudly" for Remain.

Tom Watson vents frustration at Labour stance on Brexit

17 June 2019
The Times
In a speech at the Centre for European Reform he is expected to say: “Pro-European is who we are and who we have always been. Our members are Remain. Our values are Remain. Our hearts are Remain. The only way to break the political deadlock is to bring the public back into this decision and we must argue strongly to Remain.