Here are my British Foreign Policy 10 from a week in UK politics that stank of corruption and rule breaking: 10 of the best reports, podcasts, twitter threads speeches etc. that I’ve added to my Zotero database this past week.
Immigration — CER: Early impacts of the post-Brexit immigration system on the UK labour market. The end of the free movement has led to a shortfall of around 330,000 workers in Britain. Most are in less-skilled sectors of the economy. Good coverage in the FT: UK worker shortfall due to Brexit curbs estimated at 330,000. Ending free movement from EU is ‘contributing significantly’ to shortages in lower-skilled sectors, think-tanks find.
Brexit — The Observer: Three years after Brexit, where is the new golden age that they promised us? Nothing in the prospectus has survived contact with reality.
Brexit — The Political Quarterly: Toxic Friends? A Critique of Blue Labour. Book Review by Jon Bloombfield of ‘Blue Labour. The Politics of the Common Good’, by Maurice Glasman.
Brexit — FT: Even Eurosceptics should be sceptical about the retained EU law bill. This desperate bid to kick-start Whitehall into action is more likely to blow up in Sunak’s face than bring any benefits.
Labour and Brexit — FT: Keir Starmer to tell Davos he wants to fix post-Brexit relationship with EU. UK opposition leader and shadow chancellor to push message of financial responsibility to world’s political elite.
Lib Dems and Brexit — New Statesman: Why won’t the Lib Dems fill the anti-Brexit void? The party’s refusal to make an unashamed case for rejoining the EU is bewildering.
England — LSE: How England’s competing world views may shape the UK’s foreign policy. Recent polling on views around foreign policy issues cast light on the primary lines of division shaping different attitudes among the UK population. John Denham and Tim Oliver look at the evidence and discuss how these divergences might affect UK foreign policy and its development in the future.
Global Economy — Bloomberg: Biden’s Climate Plan Is ‘Dangerous’ Says UK Business Secretary. Business secretary says US law could lead to protectionism. US Inflation Reduction Act includes tax credits, mandates.
Tech — UKICE: The race for Electric Vehicle battery making is well underway, and the UK is barely off the starting grid. David Bailey reflects on the collapse of the start-up Electric Vehicle battery maker Britishvolt, suggesting that the UK government is not doing enough to foster battery making more broadly if it wants to keep up with the EU.
Defence — House of Lords Library: Resilience of the UK armed forces. The government published both its integrated review of foreign, defence, security and international development policy and a defence command paper in March 2021. Alongside a list of new capabilities set to be introduced and existing equipment due to be retired, the second document set a target of reducing the size of the regular army. The government maintains that capabilities, rather than troop numbers, are of primary importance in confronting the defence and security challenges facing the UK.