21, Mar, 2023
The Curious Disappearance of Pragmatic UK is Probably not Permanent

UK

There is the EU memory of the UK as the awkward odd one, always demanding exemptions and rebates, constantly complaining about Commission overreach. Then there is the conflicting recollection of the UK as the arch-pragmatist in Council, finding creative solutions while never losing sight of its policy agenda, under different […]

Businesses say a global shipping crisis is causing freight costs to soar and UK consumers may soon see price rises for imported goods. On top of skyrocketing shipping rates, carriers are adding congestion charges for imports to Felixstowe and Southampton, because of severe delays. The logistics industry has written to […]

The UK government has begun negotiations to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), suggesting that joining this trade pact is a positive result of Brexit. CPTPP, as the name implies, is an agreement on trade (and related issues) between eleven countries which border the Pacific – Australia, Brunei, Canada, […]

Anti-extradition bill protesters are sprayed with pepper spray by police in Hong Kong on 13 July. Photograph: Jack Taylor/Rex/Shutterstock The government approved the export of spying equipment to Hong Kong authorities just weeks before they launched a crackdown against activists, the Observer can reveal. The revelation has been met with outrage from human […]

A busy high street scene with a couple holding hands and walking past fashion shopsGETTY A UK parliamentary inquiry into the decline of high streets and town centers has issued a proposal for an online sales tax to help secure their future. “The High Streets and Town Centres in 2030 […]