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Recent Blogs
Merkel’s harsh words on Brexit played to her German audience – but the UK should still take note
Germans have elections, too. It was at a campaign event in Bavaria that the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, made a statement that has been interpreted as having grave implications for the cohesiveness of the Euro-Atlantic alliance. “The times in which we could...
After the general election, we need to re-define our national interest for a changing world
John Bew — Head of Policy Exchange’s Britain in the World project — argues that as the world changes around us, Britain needs a serious debate about what constitutes its national interest that goes beyond the Brexit negotiations
Police can’t stop terror alone – we must do more
Last week’s attack in Manchester confirms that jihadist terrorism poses the greatest threat to British national security. Much of what has emerged so far about the bomber, Salman Abedi, fits a typical profile: a man in his 20s, raised in an immigrant family in the UK...
Manchester attack brings renewed prominence to debate around Britain’s counter-radicalisation strategy, Prevent
Last week’s terrorist attack in Manchester has brought renewed prominence to the debate around Britain’s counter-radicalisation strategy, Prevent. A concerted campaign to discredit Prevent has seeped into both elements of the public sector and prevailing thinking on the political left. The success of the ‘Preventing Prevent’ campaign, however, depends on a misunderstanding of the distinction between theology and ideology as well as the radicalising impact of an Islamist ideology, one to which many of the strategy’s most prominent detractors adhere. Understanding the anti-Prevent campaign is one way in which the authorities can more effectively disrupt extremists – a fundamental component of counter-terrorism work.
The Importance of Bilateral Collaboration in International Counter-Terrorism Investigations
Writing for Policy Exchange, Richard Walton — former Head of the Metropolitan Police Counter-Terrorism Command — dissects recent statements that Brexit has left Britain more vulnerable to terrorism. Contrary to claims by his former colleague Sir Hugh Orde and the former Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, Walton observes that international bodies such as Interpol and Europol are far less important to “upstream” international CT investigations than bilateral collaboration between nations. Walton’s analysis for Policy exchange featured on the Today programme and in The Sun.
Wealth in the UK
Policies proposed in the parties’ manifestos have directed attention towards the issue of wealth. In this article, Rebecca Lowe Coulson — Policy Exchange’s State and Society Research Fellow — provides clarification about what we know about wealth in the UK.
What would WTO mean?
Policy Exchange’s Head of Trade Policy Geoff Raby and Visiting Fellow Andrew Stoler argue that “While a high-quality FTA with the EU is the preferred outcome and in the best interests of both parties, the UK need not fear a world in which trade in goods and services and the regulatory disciplines that apply are those of the modern WTO.” They set out in an article for ConservativeHome how even in sectors with relatively high WTO tariffs, any challenge is likely to be greater for EU exporters to the UK than for UK exporters to the EU
Nationalisation: Good Bye Lenin, and a Misplaced ‘Nostalgia Chic’ — Be Careful What You Wish for
In response to the Labour Party’s proposed agenda of nationalisation, Warwick Lightfoot — Policy Exchange’s Director of Research, and Head of Economic and Social Policy — discusses the challenges Britain faced during the time when its leading utilities were all government opened and run.
The US Budget Fiscal 2018: The President Proposes and Congress Will Dispose
Warwick Lightfoot — Policy Exchange’s Director of Research, and Head of Economics and Social Policy — reflects on President Trump’s recent full budget message to Congress. Lightfoot contends that, while ‘some of the administration’s proposals are sensible’, the message is ‘ambitious’, and its projected figures are ‘optimistic and controversial’.
Theresa May’s Leadership and the Post-Brexit Conservative Opportunity: creating a popular people’s party
Warwick Lightfoot — Policy Exchange’s Director of Research, and Head of Economics and Social Policy — was special adviser to three Chancellors of the Exchequer during the ERM controversy. Here he responds to last week’s Conservative Party manifesto, noting that the ‘electoral earthquake’ of Brexit has offered Theresa May ‘the opportunity to reunite the Conservative Party and the wider centre-right spectrum’ on the issue of Europe, in a way which is ‘little short of astonishing’.
