CX's plan for Brexit

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As the dust settles on the UK's vote to leave the EU, the big question on everyones' lips is: What Now?

It is clear that the UK will have to negotiate a deal with the remaining EU but how should it go about it? And what about the rest of the world? Will free movement continue? Or perhaps be adapted to include a different set or subset of nations?

Commonwealth Exchange (CX) has a full plan for what to do next. Written by CX Directors Ralph Buckle and Tim Hewish, the plan was initially submitted to the Institute of Economic Affairs' Brexit Prize (in Tim's name) where it claimed a place on the podium and wide renown.

Since then, the plan has also been published as part of the IEA's "Brexit: Directions for Britain Outside the EU"

In addition, CX has published additional research around the topic, particularly focusing on immigration and trade policy:

Media wishing to arrange interviews or request a comment should email ralph@commonwealth-exchange.org or call the media mobile listed here.

Advisory Board Member Robin Walker MP quizzes Government on Commonwealth Trade

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Robin at CX's launch event

Robin at CX's launch event

Robin Walker MP, a member of our Advisory Board and the Secretary of Parliament's Commonwealth All-Party Group, has been quizzing the UK government on trade with the Commonwealth.

In the first of a series of questions, he asked what the UK was doing to promote UK-Commonwealth trade, EU-Commonwealth trade, and intra-Commonwealth trade. The Minister responded as follows:

"The European Commission leads on trade negotiations on behalf of the EU and its member states. The UK is a strong advocate of the EU’s ambitious trade agenda and has supported the pursuit of comprehensive trade agreements with several Commonwealth countries. Negotiations on free trade agreements with Canada and Singapore are close to finalisation, we are the EU’s strongest champion of a trade agreement with India, and a joint declaration between EU leaders and the Prime Minister of New Zealand last month paves the way to potential trade negotiations between the EU and New Zealand starting under the next European Commission."

As we have argued before, whether in or out of the EU, the UK needs to be doing all it can to build these links and relationships. In our submission to the IEA's Brexit Prize we put forward an extensive plan of how the UK could do so if it were to leave but for as long as it remains a member, we must keep encouraging these deals and agreements to maximise Commonwealth trade.

Robin also asked about UK Trade and Investment's (UKTI) activities in Commonwealth Markets and was told that the "UKTI has a presence in 23 Commonwealth markets, accounting for approximately 21% of UKTI overseas headcount."

Finally, he asked for greater detail about the UK's trade with Commonwealth countries (beyond the public data that is available for 10 members) but this information was not provided.

IEA Brexit Prize: CX win 3rd Place!

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We're pleased to announce that we won the 3rd prize in the IEA's Brexit Prize!

Our entry, arguing that a post-EU Britain should put the Commonwealth and wider Anglosphere at the forefront of its trading plans, also came in second in the under 30s category.

You can find out more about the competition here but the premise for submissions is as follows:

"A referendum has resulted in an “Out” vote and Her Majesty’s Government has triggered Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty. What measures does the UK need to take in the following two years, domestically (within the UK), vis-a-vis the remaining EU and internationally, in order to promote a free and prosperous economy?"

We will post a link to our submission when it is available as well as more information as it comes in.

UPDATE: Below are a few photos from Tuesday's awards ceremony including our Executive Director Tim Hewish accepting the prize from the Chairman of the judging panel, Lord Lawson. Photos are copyright IEA.

UPDATE 2: Our entry is now available online. You can read it here.

CX reaches the final 6 of IEA's Brexit Prize

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We're pleased to announce that our submission to the IEA's Brexit Prize has reached the final six.

We were shortlisted last year to make a full submission of up to 20,000 words. We made this submission in February and have now passed the final hurdle before the winner is announced on April 8th. The last six in the competition can be found here.

You can find out more about the competition here but the premise for submissions is as follows:

"A referendum has resulted in an “Out” vote and Her Majesty’s Government has triggered Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty. What measures does the UK need to take in the following two years, domestically (within the UK), vis-a-vis the remaining EU and internationally, in order to promote a free and prosperous economy?"

CX does not take a position on whether the UK should remain in the EU but feel it is important that plans are in place should it chose freely to do so. As a result we put forward our submission arguing that the Commonwealth and wider Anglosphere should be at the forefront of any UK plans if it were to leave the union. As the competition is still going on we obviously don't want to reveal more at this stage.

Thanks to all who assisted with the submission and put up with us while we were writing! Wish us luck for the prize!

CX has been shortlisted in the IEA Brexit prize

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We are delighted to announce that our submission for the IEA's Brexit prize has been shortlisted by their judging panel and will now proceed to the final stage. Commenting on the announcement, Ralph Buckle, Co-founder of CX and co-author of the submission, said:

It's a great honour to be shortlisted by such a distinguished panel and we're looking forward to the next stage of the competition. No matter who wins, it's vital that this conversation takes place in the UK to inform the debate around a possible future referendum and ensure all options and implications are considered if the public do vote to leave

You can read more about the prize here but the premise is as follows:

A referendum has resulted in an “Out” vote and Her Majesty’s Government has triggered Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty. What measures does the UK need to take in the following two years, domestically (within the UK), vis-a-vis the remaining EU and internationally, in order to promote a free and prosperous economy?

CX does not take a position on whether the UK should remain in the EU but feel it is important that plans are in place should it chose freely to do so. As a result we put forward our submission arguing that the Commonwealth and wider Anglosphere should be at the forefront of any UK plans if it were to leave the union. As the competition is still going on we obviously don't want to reveal more at this stage.

However we would also like to stress that the UK needs to engage and build stronger links with the Commonwealth nations whether or not it remains a member of the EU. If the UK does remain a member or until it leaves, it should be constantly pushing for trade and bilateral investment agreements with Commonwealth countries as our Advisory Board member, Robin Walker MP, made clear in Parliament this week to the Prime Minister.

Update: the full shortlist is now available here.