Trading our way to prosperity: A blueprint for policymakers

The UK Trade and Business Commission recently published a comprehensive assessment of the state of UK trade containing 114 recommendations to remove barriers to growth and prepare the UK economy for the challenges and opportunities of the next decade. Our panel, composed of members of and advisers to the Commission, discuss this report in further detail.

Featured

Hilary Benn MP

Labour MP and Co-convenor, UK Trade & Business Commission

Hilary is MP for Leeds Central and Co-convener of the UK Trade and Business Commission which provides independent scrutiny of the UK’s trade deals and provides recommendations to the Government.

A former Shadow Foreign Secretary and former Secretary of State for International Development and Food and Rural Affairs, Hilary has a wealth of experience in international relations, trade and the UK’s production economy.

Hilary was chair of the House of Commons Committee on the Future Relationship with the European Union which scrutinised the Government on Brexit negotiations and UK-EU trade.

Deborah Annetts

Chief Executive, Independent Society of Musicians

Deborah is the Chief Executive of the Independent Society of Musicians (ISM) and has held the role since 2008. The ISM is the UK’s professional body for musicians and has existed since 1882, supporting over 11,000 members across the UK and Ireland. The ISM has a strong policy and research function and since 2016 it has published many reports on the impact of Brexit on the music sector. The ISM has also made available for free a ground breaking guide to the EU visa and work permit requirements for all those UK creatives seeking to work in the EU. It is widely regarded as one of the best in the sector.

Professor L. Alan Winters

Professor of Economics, University of Sussex

Alan is Professor of Economics and a Fellow and Founding Director of the UK Trade Policy Observatory in the University of Sussex. From 2008 to 2011, Alan was Chief Economist at the Department for International Development, and from 2004 to 2007 Director of the Development Research Group of the World Bank.

He was editor of The World Trade Review (2008-2020). Alan’s current work is almost wholly devoted to research and policy analysis on the trade policy implications of Brexit.

Tamara Cincik

CEO & Founder of Fashion Roundtable

Tamara has 20 years experience working in the fashion industry, as a fashion editor and brand consultant, as well as uniquely working in Parliament.

As secretariat for the All Party Parliamentary Group for Ethics and Sustainability in Fashion, she is the bridge between fashion and policy.

David Henig

Director, European Centre for International Political Economy

David is the UK Director at the European Centre for International Political Economy (ECIPE) and a leading expert and writer on Brexit negotiations and the trade policy issues arising from Brexit.

He worked on trade and investment issues for the UK Government for a number of years, including on TTIP throughout the three and a half years of negotiations. After the EU referendum vote he helped establish the new Department for International Trade, engaging in many of the UK’s first working groups with non-EU countries, and setting out options for engagement with the US.

Find out more about the UK Trade and Business Commission, policy partner for Trade Unlocked, here.

Since it was established in 2021, the UK Trade and Business Commission (UKTBC) has been working to understand how our new trading relationships are impacting businesses and different sectors of the UK economy. And now we have the solutions.

The Commission has hosted 38 evidence sessions, performed site visits, taken over 80 hours of live testimony from 234 expert witnesses, industry leaders and business owners and received written evidence submissions from over 200 organisations as part of an open consultation.

This report is a product of the extensive work the Commission has undertaken and the valuable insights gained have culminated in the development of 114 actionable recommendations. These recommendations are designed to enhance the UK’s trading relationships, foster business growth, and navigate through the current challenging landscape.

Trading our way to prosperity: A blueprint for policymakers

The Changing World: when trade and business meet geopolitics

Freeing Trade: what needs to be done?