Press
Make no mistake, Britain is not a world-beating economy
29 September 2016
Financial Times
Simon Tilford of the Centre for European Reform provides a far more realistic picture in his Brexit Britain. Measured at purchasing power parity, the rise in the UK's gross domestic product per head between 2000 and 2015 was smaller than in Germany, Spain and France. Over this period, the UK outperformed only Italy, among the EU's largest pre-2000 members. In 2015, the UK's GDP per head was lower relative to the average of the 15 pre-2000 EU members than in 2000: its GDP per head was a mere ninth within this group.
Viktor Orbán's date with destiny
29 September 2016
The World Weekly
On no issue is this state of limbo more dangerous than migration. With civil wars still raging in the Middle East, any number of sparks could see the crisis flare up again with startling intensity. “There is a sense of calm before the storm,” said Camino Mortera-Martinez, a research fellow and expert on free movement at the Centre of European Reform, a think-tank. As it stands, she told TWW, the bloc would be ill-equipped to withstand such an eventuality. The current solutions, though hard-fought, are sticking plasters; the serious treatment is yet to come.
Stuck in a rut? Here's how to help the Brits who feel left behind
28 September 2016
City A.M
Our fortune in the west may be indisputable, but is often little comfort to the many Brits who – by western European standards – are stuck in an economic rut. Stark figures were published this week from the Centre for European Reform. London and the south east are the only UK regions with a higher-than-average GDP per capita, compared to 15 major EU countries. All other parts of the UK (accounting for three quarters of the population) have GDP-per-head below 90 per cent of the EU-15 average.
As US election nears, the globe watches (very) intently
28 September 2016
The Christian Science Monitor
In Britain, just setting out on an uncertain path outside the European Union, the "special relationship" between London and Washington is more important than ever, suggests Ian Bond, foreign policy analyst at the Centre for European Reform in London.
Distorted data that mask Britain's real plight
28 September 2016
The Evening Standard
It was, for example, often repeated by Boris Johnson in the EU referendum campaign that Britain’s economic performance had for the last 15 years been much better than that of the rest of the EU. But Simon Tilford, deputy director of the Centre for European Reform, alleges that, on the contrary, Britain is in many ways the poor man of Europe.
Why Deutsche can't bank on Germany in fight with the US
27 September 2016
Fortune
As Christian Odendahl, an economist with the Centre for European Reform in London, points out, a bailout with taxpayers’ money would give AfD yet another stick with which to beat her, on top of her bailouts of feckless Mediterranean types and her handling of the migrant crisis.
CER report: The EU never held Britain's economy back
27 September 2016
Business Insider
Britain's economy is sluggish and unproductive, and will worsen with Brexit, according to a report from the Centre for European Reform (CER).
Brexit Briefing: George Osborne, soft Brexiter
26 September 2016
Financial Times
Britain has not been one of Europe’s economic stars over the past 15 years and Brexit is set to exacerbate its underlying weaknesses, writes Simon Tilford of the Centre for European Reform.
UK heading for 'hard Brexit', warns Scottish minister
26 September 2016
Sky News
The Centre for European Reform (CER) said the problems of a London-focused economy, poor skill levels, weak infrastructure and a lack of affordable housing were likely to be made worse by leaving the EU, leaving poorer regions in an even worse state.
Britain, don't blame the EU for your economic problems, CER says
26 September 2016
Bloomberg
The UK's difficulties in unlocking its economic potential lie at home and it's wrong to blame the European Union, according to a new report by the Centre for European Reform.
Britain's Brexit economy is "mediocre" compared to other EU countries
26 September 2016
New Europe
“Brexit Britain: The Poor Man of Western Europe?”, the latest report of the Centre for European Reform authored by Simon Tilford criticizes Britain’s economy and decision for Brexit. It brings forth evidence that Britain is not the strong economic leader that the public perceives it as being.
European firms offer Britain scant support in divorce talks
25 September 2016
The Daily Mail
Simon Tilford, deputy director of the Centre for European Reform think-tank, said that if Britain better understood the thinking of EU governments and businesses, it could secure a deal allowing tariff-free trade in goods with Europe. If it didn't, the two-year period between notifying Brussels of its intention to leave, and membership expiring, could pass without any deal at all, he said. "If the UK wants controls on labour movement from the EU it will have to concede membership of the EU's single market for services. I think that's obvious."
British PM Theresa May dismisses Brexit veto threat
25 September 2016
Cosumnes Connection
"Free movement is the only way that most such services-in construction, retail and so forth-can be traded, as construction workers and baristas cannot provide their services remotely", John Springford, senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform, said in a report.
Brexit vote 3 months on: Markets questions still to answer
23 September 2016
Financial Times
The Centre for European Reform counts six interlocking negotiations for the UK government to contemplate: legal exit from the EU, the ultimate trading relationship, an interim arrangement between the two, joining the World Trade Organisation, trade agreements with 53 countries to replace existing EU deals, and co-operation on European security and defence.
RTÉ Radio 1: Morning Ireland
23 September 2016
Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska talks to Morning Ireland about the impact of Brexit on Britain (from 01:32).
Brexit & beyond: Prospects for hard Brexit; May loses minister; French revival
23 September 2016
The Wall Street Journal
John Springford at the Centre for European Reform, a pro-European Union think tank based in London, believes the lack of an immediate recession makes it more likely that pro-Brexit politicians will win their case for a dramatic break from the EU.
RTÉ News: Six One
23 September 2016
The CER's Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska speaks to RTÉ News about Britain's negotiating restrictions while still in the EU (from 27:57).
Written evidence from The Centre for European Reform
22 September 2016
Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee
Referendums on constitutional questions are too important to be settled by a simple majority of those who vote on the day.
After 'Brexit' EU revives idea of its own joint military command
22 September 2016
The New York Times
But in circumstances where there is no obvious "lead nation", the headquarters would provide the European Union a military planning and operational capacity it lacks, even for small missions, like securing the airport in Mali in January 2013, said Rem Korteweg, a defense analyst for the London-based Centre for European Reform. "The EU normally wants to deploy in co-ordination with diplomacy and development aid," he said, "and now can’t pull it all together."
UK's early economic resilience adds new wrinkle to Brexit
22 September 2016
The Wall Street Journal
John Springford at the Centre for European Reform, believes the lack of an immediate recession makes it more likely that pro-Brexit politicians will win their case for a dramatic break from the EU. ...Consumption, which has sustained growth, also tends to be a lagging indicator. “The mistake that we made in July was that we assumed that consumers were more forward-looking than they are,” Mr Springford said.