Press
BBC Radio 4 - PM: EU negotiations with Switzerland
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).
UK exporters given £6.8bn of support last year Government says backing helped to maintain 47,000 British jobs
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.”
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
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?
CER podcast: The Big European Sort? The diverging fortunes of Europe's regions
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
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.
Tom Watson on Brexit: ‘Me leave Labour? It’s leaving me’
17 June 2019
The Guardian
In his speech at the Centre for European Reform, Watson also took a veiled swipe at some Labour MPs and union officials, including Unite’s general secretary, Len McCluskey, who have cautioned against a referendum, suggesting they had not made the case for how the EU had helped their towns and workers. “For those on the left to fail to acknowledge that is to rewrite history,” he said.“It is no ‘boss’s club’, it is both an engine of progress and a backstop against regressive and repressive governments.”
'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.
EU leaders face pressure to deliver on climate change
17 June 2019
BBC News
Camino Mortera-Martinez, an analyst at the Centre for European Reform, told the BBC "it's now clear the Greens will have a very important role in policymaking" - partly because liberal and socialist parties know they lost voters to the Greens."It's an easy policy area to make political gains, as it's a popular issue," she said.
Brexit: Labour must champion case for remaining in the EU, Tom Watson to urge Jeremy Corbyn
17 June 2019
The Independent
In his speech on Europe at the Centre for European Reform, the deputy leader will also recount a recent conversation he had with Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury.
"Something he said to me resonated very deeply. He told me that our politicians need to learn to 'disagree well'. I think we all instinctively understand what he means by that," Mr Watson will say. "I will try to make the positive case for what I believe.
"Something he said to me resonated very deeply. He told me that our politicians need to learn to 'disagree well'. I think we all instinctively understand what he means by that," Mr Watson will say. "I will try to make the positive case for what I believe.
Tom Watson claims SHAKESPEARE would have been pro-EU as he mounts fresh push for Labour to back a second referendum to CANCEL Brexit
17 June 2019
The Daily Mail
Mr Watson pointed out that Shakespeare had based many of his plays on the continent. 'Being European was central to his sense of who he was,' he added. In a keynote speech at the Centre for European Reform, Mr Watson complained that the EU was wrongly being portrayed as a 'threat to our way of life'.
Brexit: New referendum 'least worst option', says Tom Watson
17 June 2019
BBC News
In a speech to the Centre for European Reform, the deputy leader said Labour must be honest about the EU's strengths."Pro-European is who we are and who we have always been. Our members are Remain. Our values are Remain. Our hearts are Remain.
Brexit: Labour's Tom Watson calls for second referendum, saying 'our hearts are Remain'
17 June 2019
Sky News
Mr Watson told an audience at the Centre for European Reform that "our hearts are Remain" and that another referendum is the only way to "break the political deadlock" at Westminster.
Tom Watson at loggerheads with Corbyn over Brexit with Remain call
17 June 2019
The Financial Times
Mr Watson said on Monday that his party had been “afraid to tell the truth” about the benefits of staying in the bloc, in a seeming jab at Jeremy Corbyn, whose position is much more Eurosceptic.He added that there was still time to reverse the result of the 2016 Brexit referendum. “Pro-European is who we are and who we have always been,” he said in a speech at the Centre for European Reform, a think-tank. “Our members are Remain. Our values are Remain. Our hearts are Remain.”
Tom Watson throws down Brexit gauntlet to Corbyn and demands Labour back Remain
16 June 2019
The Mirror
Speaking to the Centre for European Reform think-tank, Mr Watson will 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.
“Our future doesn’t need to be Brexit - we can change our future.
“We can put Britain back at the heart of Europe again, we can be proud of leading the fight for a fairer and stronger future, together.
“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.
“Our future doesn’t need to be Brexit - we can change our future.
“We can put Britain back at the heart of Europe again, we can be proud of leading the fight for a fairer and stronger future, together.
Talk Radio: Conservative leaders debate
16 June 2019
Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska speaks to John Nicolson on Talk Radio about the Conservative leadership battle (from 01.38 mins).
Tory candidates are misleading people about a no-deal Brexit
15 June 2019
The Economist
Any further extension of the deadline also requires the unanimous approval of EU governments. Charles Grant of the Centre for European Reform, a think-tank, believes they may agree, but adds that some exasperated leaders just want Brexit out of the way, deal or no deal.
Trump sets his sights on France with threats to tariff French wine
15 June 2019
The Telegraph
As relations between China and the US have worsened, Tokyo and Brussels have sought to redouble efforts to preserve multilateral peace making and bodies such as the World Trade Organisation. “The Japan-EU relationship is in a fairly good place,” says Sam Lowe of the Centre for European Reform. Trump’s decision to pull out of the 12-nation trade deal, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, “put more impetus into Japan pursuing its FTA with the EU”, Lowe contends.