The Brexit divorce has left both sides worse off

  • Date: 13-May-2021
  • Source: Financial Times
  • Sector:Economy
  • Country:Middle East
  • Who else needs to know?

The Brexit divorce has left both sides worse off

Hello from Brussels. The biggest story in town continues to be the vaccine patent kerfuffle, with the EU deciding what to say at a big health summit in Rome at the end of next week. More on this next week ahead of the meeting.

Today’s main piece asks whether, with the UK unveiling some of what it intends to do with its Brexit freedom, its departure from the EU will lead to better trade policy on either side of the Channel.

Chartered Waters breaks down where all those semiconductor chips, in such short supply right now, end up.

The lost creative tension of Britain’s EU membership

“Good riddance” was a common mutual reaction in both the UK and EU when Brexit finally happened in January. To be fair, there are areas where you can legitimately argue Brexit created opportunities — the UK’s somewhat nimbler vaccination programme, or the EU pooling more fiscal authority, a move Britain generally opposed as a member state.

But in trade? No. To our mind if you think that either the EU or the UK has a better trade or regulatory policy as a result of Brexit, you’re being disingenuous, ignorant or protectionist. Let us explain.

From the UK’s point of view,