A bumper two week list of British foreign policy must-reads. The coronation provided a wealth of analysis about Britain’s place in the world. Some of it was a rehash of what was said last year on the death of Queen Elizabeth. Regular analysis dominated, as usual, by Brexit and UK-EU relations.
Coronation ~ Chatham House: Bronwen Maddox — Monarchy helps UK avoid difficult constitutional questions. King Charles III is likely to be a careful, dedicated, and successful monarch, but the value of his role extends far beyond the performance of one individual.
Coronation ~ The Week: Harriet Marsden — The ‘diplomat monarch’: will King’s coronation revitalise British soft power. Supporters say Charles is foreign relations asset but others question whether the newly crowned monarch can boost the UK’s influence.
Coronation ~ Politico: Tanya Gold — The coronation was an act of magic for a country scared the spell might break. The millions tuning in for King Charles’ crowning moment saw exactly what they wanted to see.
Coronation ~ IFRI: François Gaulme — Charles III's United Kingdom and Africa. A temptation to withdraw. On 6 May 2023, King Charles III will be crowned at Westminster Abbey in London. This briefing assesses the UK-Africa relations against the backdrop of the new King's discours on Global Britain.
Coronation ~ CFR: Manjari Chatterjee Miller and Clare Harris — Is the Commonwealth Under King Charles III Still Relevant? The coronation of King Charles, the sovereign of the Commonwealth, calls into question the role of the British monarch on the world stage.
Coronation ~ Lowy Institute: Sam Bidwell — Australia: The lynchpin of a modernised Commonwealth. A network of middle powers and small states supporting one another. What’s not to like?
Foreign Policy Strategy ~ UKICE: Richard Whitman — Post-Global Britain: a new normal in UK foreign policy. In light of the Foreign Secretary’s recent Mansion House speech setting out the UK’s approach to China, Richard Whitman looks at whether there’s been a move away from expansive rhetoric together with diplomatic ‘wins’ towards a ‘new normal’ in UK foreign policy under Rishi Sunak.
Foreign Policy Strategy ~ The Geopolitics: Daniel Gorringe — The UK’s New Diplomatic Agenda.
Britain in Decline ~ New Statesman: Harry Lambert — Simon McDonald: “It’s the end of the game for Britain.” The former head of the Foreign Office on the UK’s decline, why we should not “make an enemy” of China and how he brought down Boris Johnson.
UK-EU Relations ~ UKICE: The future of the UK-EU relationship. Lord Kinnoull, Chair of the House of Lords European Affairs Committee, outlines the findings of a new report from the committee on the relationship between the UK and the EU.
EU Laws ~ FT: Lucy Fisher, Peter Foster and Delphine Strauss — UK pulls back on plan to revoke all EU regulations. Only around 600 out of 4,000-plus Brussels-derived rules will be scrapped by end of year.
EU Laws ~ UKICE: Badenoch’s Retained EU Law Bill still leaves many questions to answer. Joël Reland analyses the Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch’s announcement of changes to the Retained EU Law Bill, highlighting the questions that will need tackling in the coming months.
Brexit trade ~ FT: Peter Foster and Delphine Strauss — UK haulage industry forced to train army of homegrown drivers to cope with Brexit. Two years on from acute shortage of truckers, the sector has resolved the crisis through higher wages and skills ‘boot camps’.
Brexit trade ~ FT: Alan Beattie — Fish exports are a drop in the ocean next to overseas student fees. Governments like the UK’s are realising the potential from selling higher education abroad.
Brexit and electric cars ~ Politico: Graham Lanktree -- Got Brexit done? Now sort electric car ‘cliff-edge,’ UK and EU told. Carmakers want much more clarity as Brussels and London start talking about a crucial trade deadline.
Brexit cost ~ CER: John Springford — Are the costs of Brexit big or small? Critics say my estimate – that the British economy is around 5 per cent smaller due to Brexit – is implausibly large. This insight tests their scepticism against other ways to estimate the cost of Brexit.
Brexit cost ~ The Atlantic: David Frum — ‘We’re All Worse Off’. Britain is now paying the price for its decision to leave the European Union.
Brexit and the Conservatives ~ New Statesman: William Atkinson — Why the Tories will soon be Remainers. Are young conservatives pining for Brussels?
Brexit and public opinion ~ FT: George Parker: Britain’s ‘Brexit capital’ shows signs of disillusionment with Tories. Independent candidates standing in next week’s local elections hope to make inroads into Conservative heartland.
ECHR ~ UKICE: Compliance with the European Convention on Human Rights: the UK and Europe. The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) is an international human rights treaty that protects the rights of everyone within or affected by the actions of the 46 states, including the UK, that belong to the Council of Europe. The ECHR is not an EU treaty, and the Council of Europe is not an EU body. This explainer examines the UK’s relationship with the ECHR system – how often the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) finds that the UK has violated human rights and on what issues, and how far the UK complies with those rulings. It compares the UK’s record with other European states.
Immigration ~ New Statesman: Andrew Marr — Why Britain needs to have an honest conversation about rising migration. Few things are more corrosive of public trust than pretending a problem isn’t there. Sooner or later the public notices.
Hong Kong ~ Bloomberg: Matthew Brooker — It's Too Early for Britain to Turn the Page on Hong Kong. The UK risks soft-pedaling some of its criticisms of China, especially where the city is concerned.
Hong Kong ~ FT: Georgina Quach — For Hongkongers in Britain, democracy is something to be worked at. Those who fled the territory in the midst of a security crackdown keep hopes alive through political participation.
Defence ~ Wavell Room: Michael Schurken — Rethinking British Military Policy.