Brexit

Brexit in Trumpland

Theresa May has finally set out her Brexit negotiating objectives. While she belatedly recognised that curtailing free movement requires leaving the single market, she wasn’t honest about the implications of leaving the customs union and her two-year timetable for striking an exit and a trade deal is unrealistic. The chances of Britain leaving without a deal, let alone a “phased implementation” of it, have risen. Businesses should prepare for a very hard, chaotic, cliff-edge Brexit. My column for Project Syndicate

Mayday in the UK

Conservative Brexiteers – who campaigned for the United Kingdom to vote to leave the European Union – continue to blather about building an open, outward-looking, free-trading Britain. But the UK is in fact turning inward. Prime Minister Theresa May, who styles herself as the UK’s answer to Angela Merkel, is turning out to have more in common with Marine Le Pen, the leader of France’s far-right National Front, than with Germany’s internationalist chancellor.

Read my Project Syndicate column on Britain’s illiberal turn.

Quoted in CityAM on Brexit, migrants and housing

In CityAM Mark Sands quoted me in a piece on the impact of migrants on housing and public services on 1 June.

Fellow economist Philippe Legrain, who supports liberal migration rules, slammed Fox’s comments. “This is more than dog whistle politics, it’s just demonising migrants for the failings of the British economy and the British public sector,” Legrain said.

“The bigger issue with the British housing market, which would exist even with much less immigration is planning restrictions which prevent us building extra housing. Generally EU migrants also pay in more than they take out so any pressure that exists on other public services is due to the failings of the public sector. In short, Liam Fox is talking rubbish.”

Read the full article here.