British exit from the EU?

Early impacts of the post-Brexit immigration system on the UK labour market

Early impacts of the post-Brexit immigration system on the UK labour market

John Springford, Jonathan Portes
17 January 2023
The end of the free movement has led to a shortfall of around 330,000 workers in Britain. Most are in less-skilled sectors of the economy. 
The cost of Brexit to June 2022

The cost of Brexit to June 2022

21 December 2022
My latest update estimates Brexit reduced Britain's GDP by 5.5 per cent by the second quarter of 2022. My model avoids the cherry-picking of data, and performs better than its critics’ methods.

The UK needs a chips strategy

01 December 2022
London wants chip-makers in Britain to support innovation. But using national security laws to engineer that outcome is counterproductive. Instead, the UK needs a more sober post-Brexit tech policy. 

UK science and technology after Brexit: How to fix it

28 November 2022
Brexit has hurt British science and slowed the deployment of new technology across its economy. Rejoining the single market may be politically unrealistic, but Britain can still limit the damage.

Can Truss reset relations with the EU?

29 September 2022
Britain’s new prime minister has the chance to rebuild bridges to the European Union. But it is unclear whether she will seize the opportunity.  

Trussonomics has failed at the first hurdle

29 September 2022
Are the UK’s institutions strong enough to stop the government’s wrong-headed fiscal policy? 

How to fix the Northern Ireland Protocol

Hilary Benn
08 September 2022
Hilary Benn MP considers the stalemate between London and Brussels over the Northern Ireland Protocol and highlights key areas where both sides can achieve a compromise.
Four reasons why the UK’s Northern Ireland Protocol bill is a mistake

Four reasons why the UK’s Northern Ireland Protocol bill is a mistake

27 June 2022
The UK promises to “fix” the Northern Ireland protocol with unilateral legislation. This will be a major step backwards in trying to resolve genuine practical problems under the protocol.

What can we know about the cost of Brexit so far?

09 June 2022
The UK's GDP is 5.2 per cent smaller than a modelled ‘doppelgänger’ UK that did not leave the EU; investment is 13.7 per cent lower, and goods trade, 13.6 per cent lower. Most of those costs are down to Brexit.
The cost of Brexit: December 2021

The cost of Brexit: December 2021

10 March 2022
By December 2021, leaving the single market and customs union had reduced UK goods trade by 14.9 per cent. And new analysis shows that UK exports have taken a larger hit than imports.
As Frost departs, will the ice melt across the Channel?

As Frost departs, will the ice melt across the Channel?

20 December 2021
David Frost’s resignation as Brexit minister matters: he greatly influenced Boris Johnson’s Brexit policy. With Liz Truss replacing him, UK policy towards the EU may become less confrontational.
The cost of Brexit: October 2021

The cost of Brexit: October 2021

13 December 2021
In October 2021, UK goods trade was 15.7 per cent, or £12.6 billion, lower than it would have been if the UK had stayed in the EU’s single market and customs union.
The cost of Brexit: September 2021

The cost of Brexit: September 2021

29 November 2021
In September 2021, UK goods trade was 11.2 per cent, or £8.5 billion, lower than it would have been if the UK had stayed in the EU’s single market and customs union.

The three deaths of EU-UK data adequacy

Zach Meyers, Camino Mortera-Martinez
15 November 2021
European and British businesses can still freely transfer personal data between the EU and UK. This situation has spared both sides disruption – but is unlikely to last.

EU-UK relations: There is no steady state

Sam Lowe
26 October 2021
The current crisis over the Northern Ireland protocol will pass, but tensions between the EU and the UK are not going away.

Opening Pandora's Box: What the EU-UK trade deal means for trade and conditionality

Sam Lowe
13 October 2021
The EU-UK Trade and Co-operation Agreement includes world-leading sustainability commitments.

Medical devices and the limits of UK regulatory autonomy

Sam Lowe, Derek Hill
05 August 2021
Medical devices illustrate the limited scope for post-Brexit UK divergence from EU rules, and the trade-offs the UK must face.

The cost of Brexit: May 2021

21 July 2021
The Centre for European Reform estimates that leaving the single market and customs union has reduced UK trade in goods by £10 billion or 13.5 per cent in May 2021.