Suchergebnisse

In this blog I want to report on our project on a "just transition" to electric vehicles in the automotive sector (with Sally Weller, Ian Henry, Al Rainnie, Gill Bentley and Beverley Nielsen) that was funded by the British Academy, and the implications in the West Midlands. As current talk on establishing a "Gigafactory" in the Region (namely, that proposed for the former Coventry Airport site) attests, securing as much value-added (and hence jobs) locally is vital if the West Midlands is to retain its pre-eminence in automotive manufacture in the UK.

The Prime Minister's public apology at Parliamentary Question Time today for a Number 10 garden party event in May 2020 when Covid-19 restrictions were in place on outdoor gatherings came as something of a surprise to me, as his track record to date would have suggested brazenly trying to ride it out and deny any responsibility or culpability.

As the PM continues to extoll for his many critics to await the outcome of senior civil servant Sue Gray's investigation into the social event held at No. 10 in May 2020 in apparent contravention of Covid-19 restrictions, I don't think any conclusions in her report will make Johnson resign. Indeed, whether or not the Prime Minister breached lockdown protocol is not in the remit of her inquiry and thus it is not surprising that Johnson's public line is to "wait for the report" as I believe he thinks he will be let "off the hook". Frankly it would be inconceivable that Gray would deliver any findings that would condemn her own boss, so once "the facts" surrounding these events are established by her they will be left to public opinion to decide. The PM clearly hopes the public will move on and forget.

News yesterday of the Parliament's Public Accounts Committee's damning verdict on the Government's handling of Brexit should drive the Labour Party to stand up and call for the UK to re-join the Single Market and Customs Union.

As the fighting continues to rage in the Ukraine – a war in which the estimates of those killed already range in the thousands (with at least 900 Ukrainian civilians as at March 20th[1] and 2,000 – 4,000 Ukrainian soldiers[2]; and from 3,000 to over 10,000 Russian soldiers, depending on estimates[3]), Boris Johnson saw fit to compare Ukraine's struggle to Brexit: "I know that it's the instinct of the people of this country, like the people of Ukraine, to choose freedom, every time. When the British people voted for Brexit in such large numbers, I don't believe it was because they were hostile to foreigners. It's because they wanted to be free to do things differently and for this country to be able to run itself."

By the time that Joe Biden is inaugurated as US President on January 20ththe United States will have long passed the grim milestone of 400,000 Covid-19 (attributed) deaths, whilst here in the UK we will likely have reached 90,000 deaths. Not that the rest of Europe has fared much better, with Germany, France, Spain and Italy all amidstthe top 20 countries for deaths attributable to the pandemic.

From Brexit to the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, the differences between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have never been so clear, with the 'United' Kingdom feeling increasingly divided. The Centre for Brexit Studies are delighted to bring together an expert panel to discuss the future and potential breakup of the UK at their next online event.

And so the New Year emerges with a deal on the table between the UK and the EU. The talk is now of Brexit being "done" with the EU-27 leaders agreeing unanimously on its passage and Parliament in the UK having voted resoundingly to approve the agreement (with Sir Keir Starmer's Labour party having been whipped by its leadership into supporting the agreement).

Centre for Brexit Studies Researcher David Hearne has discussed the protest that was held by fishing businesses in Westminster earlier this week, who are highlighting the post-Brexit export issues that they are facing. The Researcher discussed what more needs to be done to support the industry throughout these issues.

Two leading industry experts have come together to discuss the Brexit deal in detail, analyse what has ran smoothly so far, and what issues businesses are facing.In the Centre for Brexit Studies latest podcast, Professor Alex de Ruyter, Director at the Centre for Brexit Studies, and Professor Anand Menon, Professor of European Politics and Foreign Affairs at King's College London and Director of the UK in a Changing Europe initiative, joined forces to discuss.

At the Centre for Brexit Studies latest online event, a panel of experts discussed the potential break-up of the UK.From Brexit to the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, the differences between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have never beenso clear, with the 'United' Kingdom feeling increasingly divided.

On the eve of the Mayoral Elections in the West Midlands, and elections across England, Wales and Scotland, the idea of a basic income is shooting up the political agenda. But is basic income going to be a vote winner, particularly in the so-called 'Red Wall' areas of the country which were so crucial in deciding the last General Election.

As the world moves on from the COP26 Summit in Glasgow and squares up to the severe challenge posed by climate change, the coming decade will see some of the most far-reaching changes the global automotive industry has experienced. In just over a decade, by 2035, significant major world markets anticipate phasing out the sale of new vehicles powered by internal combustion with a number hoping to do so even sooner. The imperative to move to low-carbon production is now clear and industry is responding[1].

The concept of a Universal Basic Income (UBI) is not new. Indeed, some would argue that the basic premise dates back to the 1500s or earlier. However, in spite of the significant attention in the academic literature that the idea has received, it remains outside the mainstream in most contemporary policy debates.

As I write these words I was musing over the Eurovision results on Saturday night, where the UK failed to score any points from the judges and the popular vote in any other country. Given that Australia has voting rights in Eurovision and also gave the UK "null points", I'd have thought this was particularly stinging. Surely the ties of history count for something? Clearly not, if that is any guide (not that I ever thought that to begin with).