John Stevens and Brendan Donnelly discuss the reemergence of Brexit as a topic of British political discourse. They conclude that this reemergence could be harmful to Reform's electoral prospects, but only if other parties present a coherent alternative to Brexit.

SPEAKERS:

John Stevens is the Chairman of the Federal Trust and a former Conservative MEP.

Brendan Donnelly is the former Director of the Federal Trust and a former Conservative MEP.

John Stevens and Brendan Donnelly discuss the political and economic advantages for the Labour Party of a more overtly pro-European policy. They suggest that a successor to Keir Starmer would be better placed to follow this policy than would the present Prime Minister.

SPEAKERS:

John Stevens is the Chairman of the Federal Trust and a former Conservative MEP.

Brendan Donnelly is the former Director of the Federal Trust and a former Conservative MEP.

Brendan Donnelly and John Stevens discuss the choice post-Brexit Britain must make between Europe and America. They predict that the UK will opt for Europe in the medium to long term, despite the short term attractions of the “special relationship".

SPEAKERS:

John Stevens is the Chairman of the Federal Trust and a former Conservative MEP.

Brendan Donnelly is the former Director of the Federal Trust and a former Conservative MEP.

In this episode, John Springford asks whether the economic consequences of Brexit have been as negative as its opponents predicted. He concludes that these predictions were broadly accurate and the fiscal position of the UK is today considerably worse than it would have been without Brexit.

Read the Report "The Economic Impact of Brexit, Nine Years On: Was the Consensus Right?" here: https://fedtrust.co.uk/the-economic-impact-of-brexit/

SPEAKERS:

John Springford is an economist and associate fellow at the Centre for European Reform.

John Stevens is the Chair of the Federal Trust and a former Conservative MEP.

Brendan Donnelly is the former Director of the Federal Trust and a former Conservative MEP.

Andrew Blick and Brendan Donnelly discuss the announced "reset" of relations between the UK and EU. They conclude that, given the government's self-imposed "red lines" little more could realistically have been achieved. They doubt however whether the changes envisaged can seriously be regarded as a "reset" of EU/UK relations.

SPEAKERS:

Andrew Blick is the Director of the Federal Trust. He is Professor of Politics and Contemporary History at King's College London.

Brendan Donnelly is the former Director of the Federal Trust and a former Conservative MEP.

Andrew Blick and Brendan Donnelly discuss the need for more international national cooperation in face of the environmental and populist challenges facing the whole planet.

SPEAKERS:

Andrew Blick is the Director of the Federal Trust. He is Professor of Politics and Contemporary History at King's College London.

Brendan Donnelly is the former Director of the Federal Trust and a former Conservative MEP.

Brendan Donnelly and John Stevens discuss the disruptive nature of Donald Trump's first weeks as American President. They argue however that this disruption could have positive consequences for Europe and for the UK.

SPEAKERS:

John Stevens is the Chairman of the Federal Trust and a former Conservative MEP.

Brendan Donnelly is the former Director of the Federal Trust and a former Conservative MEP.

In this episode, John Stevens and Brendan Donnelly discuss the extraordinary dangers and opportunities created for the UK and the EU by the current volatility of American policy-making.

SPEAKERS:

John Stevens is the Chairman of the Federal Trust and a former Conservative MEP.

Brendan Donnelly is the former Director of the Federal Trust and a former Conservative MEP.

John Stevens and Brendan Donnelly discuss the impact of Donald Trump's first month in power on the security of Europe, and in particular its impact on Germany under the Chancellorship of Friedrich Merz.

SPEAKERS

John Stevens is the Chair of the Federal Trust and an analyst and commentator on economic affairs. Brendan Donnelly is the former Director of the Federal Trust and a former Conservative MEP.

ABOUT THE FEDERAL TRUST

The Federal Trust is a research institute studying regional, national, European and global levels of government. It has always had a particular interest in the European Union and Britain’s place in it. The Federal Trust has no allegiance to any political party. It is registered as a charity for the purposes of education and research.

Website: https://fedtrust.co.uk/

X: https://x.com/fedtrust

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John Stevens and Brendan Donnelly mark the fifth anniversary of Brexit by reviewing the arguments of the referendum campaign in 2016. They conclude that the arguments deployed in favour of Brexit have without exception been disproved by events over the past nine years.

SPEAKERS

John Stevens is the Chair of the Federal Trust and an analyst and commentator on economic affairs.

Brendan Donnelly is the former Director of the Federal Trust and a former Conservative MEP.