Dear Subscribers,
Trade Minister Kemi Badenoch signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Governor Ron DeSantis to encourage trade between the UK and Florida. It is the seventh such pact signed with a US state since 2016 and has a particular focus on the space sector. The EU has no such deals in place.
Brexit boost in the Sunshine State.
A spokesperson for the Rwandan Government responded to the UK’s Supreme Court ruling on Wednesday with dismay, criticising the evidence cited in the ruling and affirming their intention to make the policy work with a new bilateral treaty. It is doubtful how serious Rishi Sunak is about making it work – emergency legislation is unlikely to pass through the Lords and it is unclear how a treaty would affect the ruling.
The European Commission announced that it intends to sue Poland over its policies on cross-border natural gas trade. Legislation places additional obligations on firms using gas storage facilities outside of Poland which are not faced by firms using facilities inside Poland. The Commission claims that this risks hampering and distorting the EU’s internal market.
The Treasury has announced investment funding worth £4.5 billion earmarked for ‘strategic’ manufacturing sectors. The funding will be available for five years from 2025 and is intended to provide industry with certainty over long term investments.
The UK’s defence industry saw exports rise significantly in 2022, according to data published this week. New contracts to the Middle East and Europe were largely responsible for the increase. Five year averages of exports to Europe rose from £0.8 billion in 2018 to £2.2 billion in 2022.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban told a party congress that the European Union must be changed, and that Hungarians must resist “the crazy ideas of Brussels bureaucrats”, as he launched the campaign for next year’s elections for the European parliament. He identified the decision to invite Ukraine to start membership talks and the failure to reach a coherent immigration policy as particular sticking points with Brussels.
Orban warns against crazy Brussels bureaucrats.
Media
Briefings co-editor Robert Tombs on the old Tory alliance between Court and Country.
Aris Roussinos on how David Cameron destroyed the Tories.
Blog
Dangerously close to midnight By Derrick Berthelsen
Does it matter that the most important pressure valve in British history has been firmly closed? Is it too late for the Tory party to lead the new electoral majority?
Polling shows that these Tory losses aren’t being driven by a ground swell of joy and enthusiasm at the idea of a Labour Government. Only one in ten 2019 Tory voters have switched their support to Labour. The winner here is not the Labour party but “none of the above”. What we are witnessing is a veritable cacophony of voices crying “a pox on all your houses”. Why? Because with the new elite now back in control of all mainstream political parties, once again the electorate is left with only a faux electoral choice between parties which all broadly share the same values, beliefs and core policies. Values, beliefs and policies which are increasingly moving further and faster away from those of the majority.
Key Points
Brexit was, without doubt, the most important change in UK foreign policy in the last decade. Establishing a new position in the world for the UK after Brexit remains a crucial task for the Government. In 2019, the Conservatives won a huge majority with a manifesto that promised to embrace the benefits that Brexit offers. With this in mind, here are some things that the new Foreign Secretary, David Cameron, has said about Brexit over the years:
“The greatest regret is that we [Remain] lost the referendum.”
“I am deeply depressed by what’s happening.”
“Being a member of the European Union is about our economic security.”
“Britain is better off inside the EU than out on our own.”
“I deeply regret the outcome [of the referendum].”
“I do not think it would be right for me to try to be the captain that steers our country to its next destination.”
“The dangerous international situation facing Britain today, means that the closest possible cooperation with our European neighbours… is essential.”
Whatever else might be said about the merits or demerits of Cameron’s return to government, this much is clear: embracing opportunities that Brexit has unlocked is no longer a priority of this Government.
It cannot be right that the man who gambled his political career campaigning against the most important foreign policy decision that the UK has taken in decades should return a few years later as the man in charge of UK foreign policy. This appointment could not have been made by a Prime Minister serious about Brexit.
(@Briefings_Brit)
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Brexit to the fore in the national news.
Discussion also continues over on Facebook.
How you can help
There is much about Britain’s relationship with Europe that remains to be decided. Our MPs listen to their constituents. Do continue to send them links to our articles, especially on matters relevant to your constituency. Alternatively, make an appointment to speak to them at their next surgery. Let them know what you want post-Brexit Britain to look like.
Yet it is also time for unity and reconciliation. Keep reading our posts and share links to our quality content to help others understand how leaving the EU has benefited the UK economy and democratic governance. We aim to educate our critics to think differently and more positively about the long-term impact of Brexit.
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Yours sincerely,
Newsletter Editor
A Cambridge Philosophy Graduate
