Press

"It's the EU and not Britain that has the upper hand here," said Agata Gostynska-Jakubowska, a research fellow at the London-based Centre for European Reform.

"The knee-jerk reaction of the Commission is always to try to seize on any crisis to push for more Europe and closer integration," says Charles Grant from the Centre for European Reform. "This time, they can dream on."

If Leave was an expression of English nationalism, then we should expect Scotland’s budget to be cut – it is seen by many down south as plain unfair. Nicola Sturgeon has shown leadership – she has said a referendum is possible but put the needs of Scotland before knee-jerk constitutionalism. She has appointed an expert panel to advise on Scotland’s options – it’s a good line-up. Charles Grant of the Centre for European Reform is a very smart choice as he’s well-connected with EU thinkers.

The people who would be hurt the most by their country getting out of EU lived in regions where support for the idea seemed to be greatest. That’s why the CER called the vote "Brexiting yourself in the foot", an analysis published just before the vote.

But yesterday in a speech to the Centre for European Reform, Yvette Cooper, who lost out to Corbyn last time around, said she may stand again, claiming Corbyn "cannot even fill a shadow frontbench" let alone lead the party.
She said: "There is a political vacuum just when political leadership is needed most."

"Whatever Juncker and a few federalist diehards in Brussels may think, most EU governments have woken up to the reality that the more Europe the push, the more euroscepticism they get," said Charles Grant from the Centre for European Reform. "The knee-jerk reaction of the Commission is always to try to seize on any crisis to try to push for more Europe and closer integration, but they can dream on this time," he said.

Former shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper, who was defeated by Jeremy Corbyn in last year's leadership election, has joined the calls for him to quit. Speaking to the Centre for European Reform in London, she said: "He is losing us Labour support across the country - and particularly in the towns and coalfields that built the Labour movement in the first place.