Through its membership of the EU, the UK is currently party to just over 80 trade agreements (31 in force, and over 50 partly in place). Outside the EU Customs Union, the UK will be free to negotiate its own trade arrangements with any country or trading bloc, including the EU. But which to pursue first? And how will the complex inter-relationships and sequencing of negotiations affect the overall results?
Our Trade Partnerships section provides material that delves into the key issues surrounding the UK’s future place in the international trading system.
Knowledge
The political tumult in the UK over the manner in which Brexit would happen has all but drowned out discussions on the UK’s trade policy after Brexit. Admittedly, the matter of a UK-USA free trade agreement periodically resurfaces. But usually in headline-grabbing ways shorn of serious analysis, as was the case during US Vice President […]
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One of the objectives the UK has set for itself on leaving the European Union is to conclude Free Trade Agreements (FTA) with its major trade partners. The White Paper on future arrangements between the UK and the European Union (EU) proposes a free trade agreement (FTA) between both parties. It also sets specifically mentions […]
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Michael Johnson discusses the implications of Brexit on road transport across the channel, and subsequently the impact that this can have on trade between the UK and the EU. Large lorries registered anywhere from Vilnius or Gdansk to Lisbon or Athens are a familiar sight on United Kingdom roads. The goods they transport – food, […]
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Politicians and commentators talk in general terms about the prospect of the UK’s negotiating a lot of individual trade agreements with other countries once Brexit has taken effect. Such trade agreements are commonly referred to as preferential or “free trade” agreements (FTAs). They are preferential in the sense that the countries that sign up to […]
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The theory Paul Krugman once wrote that if there were ever to be an Economists’ Creed, its first two points would be: (i) I believe in free trade and (ii) I understand the principle of comparative advantage. The latter supports the former. The theory predicts that countries are better off if they specialise in goods […]
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Model Behaviour: Understanding some recent debates on the UK’s trade prospects after Brexit. Brexit has managed to make trade modelling trendy. Perhaps that’s an exaggeration. But at least it has brought it out of the academic journals and into the broadsheets. The latest sparring has seen claims that the civil service’s trade modelling is unduly […]
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This paper explores the nature of the UK’s WTO commitments and how they might impact the UK from the date of its exit from the EU.
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This briefing paper summarises two issues that a post-Brexit United Kingdom would face if it re-joined the European Economic Area (EEA). It introduces the concept of a ‘regulatory union’ and discusses Rules of Origin.
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This paper highlights how Brexit might directly and indirectly affect UK services trade and policy-making in this area.
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This article examines the possibilities for maintaining some of the benefits of the EU Customs Union and Single Market for key sectors.
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