Another week of not particularly useful developments in Brexit land. The government prepared a "bombproof" 3-line Brexit bill to be voted on in parliament; the Supreme Court confirmed that Welsh and Scottish law officers could take part and have a say in the government's upcoming appeal against the A50 High Court ruling; National Front leader Marine le Pen took an early lead in the French election polls, promising an EU referendum if she wins; and finally, Boris Johnson got wrecked by Carlo Calenda, Italy's economic development minister.
reading list
Nick de Bois writes for Brexit Central about "the hidden threat to free trade" - de Bois reiterates the importance of non-tariff barriers and how our regulatory framework will always need to be aligned with the single market to an extent, a point made by many before but arguably not this well, and a point that cannot be stressed enough.
Vicky Ford MEP writes in the Times about how many EU countries restrict immigration much more than most realise. EU officials constantly reiterate the inseparability of the four freedoms, but reality shows there is ample scope to increase restrictions on freedom of movement from within the single market, certainly more than Britain does now.
On that theme, the IEA released a report this week making the economic argument against restrictions on legal immigration, clearing up a few common misconceptions about migrant's impact on the economy.
Jolyon Maugham tries to make some sense of Labour's wobbly position on Brexit, and the potential implications for the parliamentary vote on A50.
To end, here is an interesting and perhaps divisive blog on the revisionism being used to change the Brexit agenda and push us towards a complete exit from the single market. I can't find out who wrote this or when, but it seems to have come from a follow-worthy Twitter account called UK-Positivefuture. Mysterious, but I liked it.
alex.davies@gmchamber.co.uk
@GMCC_Alex
Vicky Ford MEP writes in the Times about how many EU countries restrict immigration much more than most realise. EU officials constantly reiterate the inseparability of the four freedoms, but reality shows there is ample scope to increase restrictions on freedom of movement from within the single market, certainly more than Britain does now.
On that theme, the IEA released a report this week making the economic argument against restrictions on legal immigration, clearing up a few common misconceptions about migrant's impact on the economy.
Jolyon Maugham tries to make some sense of Labour's wobbly position on Brexit, and the potential implications for the parliamentary vote on A50.
To end, here is an interesting and perhaps divisive blog on the revisionism being used to change the Brexit agenda and push us towards a complete exit from the single market. I can't find out who wrote this or when, but it seems to have come from a follow-worthy Twitter account called UK-Positivefuture. Mysterious, but I liked it.
alex.davies@gmchamber.co.uk
@GMCC_Alex