Since we’re back in a hotter phase of the NIP rhetoric cycle, it’s useful to revisit various points. None of it’s new and I’ve shared all the content below with you before, but apparently that’s not got through to everyone. The UK government is seemingly on the verge (again) of producing a bill that would […]

A short post this week, to update the trackers for meetings of the assorted committees of the EU-UK’s Withdrawal Agreement and Trade & Cooperation Agreement. As you can see, things have been quiet so far this year. WA activity has been winding down (although that might change should the UK follow through on its reported […]

The question of whether and how Ukraine joins the EU ranks relatively low on the list of priority topics right now, for reasons that are both too obvious and too horrific to discuss right now. However, it is still a question that demands attention. The rapid return of the Commission’s preliminary questionnaire by the Ukrainian […]

Given the amount of political anguish caused already by the Northern Ireland Protocol (NIP) since its conception during the Withdrawal Agreement (WA) talks, it might seem odd to write today about one provision that can’t be used until late 2024 at the earliest. However, the Art.18 provisions on consent represent a key safeguard for the […]

The non-invitation of Boris Johnson at last week’s European Council on Ukraine came after a period of improved EU-UK relations, driven strongly by the Russian invasion. However, that close cooperation – highlighted by Liz Truss’ appearance at a Foreign Affairs Council earlier in the month. So what gives? I’ve tried to set out so underlying […]

This post originally appeared on Encompass. When trying to explain why European integration took off after the end of the Second World War, academics typically point towards some combination of factors. As well as the peace project in the wake of Holocaust and of the total war that had ravaged the continent, economic reconstruction and […]

This week I went to a conference on ‘British politics after Brexit‘. We didn’t talk about Brexit very much, among the swirl of partygate, shifting opinion polls and questions over the viability of the Union. Which prompts a question about whether Brexit changed much and whether there’s still much impact of Brexit. I ask these […]