New Podcast Series 'After Brexit: What has changed?'
‘After Brexit: What has changed?’ is a podcast series for anyone interested in the UK’s departure from the EU. In each episode, we ask guest experts to explain the issues, describe what has changed and why, and to discuss the future prospects for UK divergence.
We look at food safety, immigration, asylum and security, digital regulation, fisheries, environment and energy, financial services, competition policy, and many other areas. We ask: Were UK authorities ready? What have been the effects on businesses, consumers and ordinary citizens? Has the Covid-19 pandemic made a difference to the impact?
You are also welcome to download our report, ‘Regulation After Brexit’, which examines the impact of decisions taken by the UK government and the Trade and Cooperation Agreement across a range of policy areas. The report was produced jointly by ‘Negotiating the Future’, ‘The UK in a Changing Europe’, the Centre for Competition Policy, and Brexit & Environment.
The podcast is hosted by Professor Hussein Kassim (@HusseinHKassim) and Dr Cleo (CleoDavies2) Davies from the University of East Anglia, and produced by Sophie Ludkin (@sophieludkin)
Episodes and podcast guests
Week 17-21 May 2021
Competition Policy, Consumer Protection and Public Procurement - Amelia Fletcher (@ameliafletecon), Albert Sanchez-Graells (@BristolUniLaw) and Andreas Stephan (@cartelsman)
Professor Amelia Fletcher, Professor of Competition Policy, Norwich Business School, University of East Anglia, Professor Albert Sánchez-Graells, Professor of Economic Law, University of Bristol Law School, University of Bristol and Professor Andreas Stephan, Professor of Competition Law and Head of School, School of Law, University of East Anglia
In this episode, we look at areas that were key stumbling blocks in the negotiations, and that are likely to be test cases in the UK’s post-Brexit relationship with the EU. We discuss competition policy, where the level-playing field was one of the sticking points of the negotiations. We’ll be looking at the eventual outcome, and how the UK is likely to deal with subsidies and other anti-competitive practices in the future. We also discuss what changed in consumer protection on 1 January 2021, and in public procurement, another sensitive area, where significant commercial opportunities are at stake and the UK government signaled its intention to develop a new policy.
Environmental Policy, Climate Change, Energy and Renewables - Pierre Bocquillon (@PBocquil), Charlie Burns (@CharlieBEU) and Brendan Moore (@DrBrendanMoore):
Dr Pierre Bocquillon, Lecturer in EU Politics and Policy, School of Politics, Philosophy, Language and Communication Studies, University of East Anglia, Professor Charlotte Burns, Professor of Politics, Department of Politics and International Relations, Director of White Rose Doctoral Training Partnership, University of Sheffield and Dr Brendan Moore, Senior Research Associate, School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia
Environment and climate change present a challenge to the UK, not least because much of the UK’s action in these areas was taken while it was a member of the European Union. Moreover, the UK has promised to be green global leader, which is quite an ambition given the high standards of EU regulation. Energy, as a source of global warming, is frequently discussed in association with environment. As well as pollution and renewables, it raises questions of infrastructure, market access, and consumer protection.
The Irish Border – Katy Hayward (@hayward_katy)
Professor Katy Hayward, Professor of Political Sociology at Queen’s University Belfast, and Senior Fellow, the UK in a Changing Europe
Despite scarcely featuring in the run-up to the UK referendum, the Irish border was a major issue in the negotiations and remains highly contentious. In this podcast, Katy Hayward explains why. She takes us back to the Good Friday Agreement and what it brought about. She tells us why the Irish border become such an issue, the solutions proposed, and the formula finally agreed by the government of Boris Johnson with EU. She also discusses what changed on 1 January 2021, and whether the difficulties with goods and trade are likely to be permanent. She tells us too about why the people of Northern Ireland are so concerned about the Protocol. We finish with the question of whether Brexit has increased the prospects of a united Ireland and, if so, what the possible routes might be.
Week 24-28 May 2021
Fisheries – Chris Huggins (@chris_huggins)
Dr Christopher Huggins Associate Professor in Politics, School of Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Suffolk
Fisheries featured prominently in the UK referendum campaign and was one of the most contentious issues in the negotiations. Christopher Huggins explains why fisheries became so totemic for both the UK and the EU, what has changed since 1 January 2021, and why some UK fishers feel aggrieved by the terms of the deal struck between the UK and the EU. He also discusses the problems faced by UK shellfish exporters and whether the experience of fishers trying to sell their catch to the EU after the end of the transition period is a teething problem or signs of a structural change. And he talks about the opportunities to undertake reform that the UK government has not taken.
Digital and Data Regulation – Amelia Fletcher (@ameliafletecon) and Dr Karen McCullagh (@karenmccullagh)
Professor Amelia Fletcher, Professor of Competition Policy, Norwich Business School, University of East Anglia and Dr Karen McCullagh, Lecturer in IT, IP and Media Law, the University of East Anglia
Legal expert Karen McCullagh explains how data featured in the EU-UK negotiations, the positions taken by the two sides, and what was ultimately agreed. She discusses the likely impact of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, what changed for the UK on 1 January 2021, and the thorny issue of data equivalence. Amelia Fletcher helps disentangle the intricacies of digital regulation and offers her analysis of whether in the future the UK is likely to follow the EU or to develop an approach of its own. She reflects on the possible benefits of UK divergence.
Week 31 May-4 June 2021
Immigration, Asylum and Security – Catherine Barnard (@CSBarnard24) and Steve Peers (@StevePeers)
Professor Catherine Barnard, Professor of European Union and Labour Law, Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge, and Senior Fellow, The UK in a Changing Europe and Professor Steve Peers, Professor of EU Law, Human Rights Law and World Trade Law, University of Essex
Immigration and asylum were key issues in the UK referendum campaign. Catherine Barnard explains how freedom of movement works in the EU and looks at what changed after 1 January 2021: who does the UK now let into the country, how does it distinguish between would-be immigrants, and how much does a UK visa cost. She also tells us how Brexit has affected the status of EU citizens in the UK and UK citizens in the EU. Steve Peers discusses asylum. How has who counts as an asylum seeker, procedures for processing claims for asylum, and the ability of the UK to return asylum seekers to other European countries, changed since the en of the transition period. He also talks about the EU databases with information on criminals and asylum seekers that the UK can and can no longer access, looks at how police and judicial cooperation works post-Brexit, and offers his assessment on whether the UK is more or less secure outside the EU.
Food Safety and Food Regulation – Tola Amodu (@uealaw) and Andrew Fearne (@NorwichBSchool)
Dr Tola Amodu, Lecturer in Law, School of Law, University of East Anglia and Professor Andrew Fearne, Professor of Value Chain Management, Norwich Business School, University of East Anglia
We all know the importance of food and food safety. We’ve also seen stories in the press that warn that the new trade agreements the UK will sign across the world following Brexit will lead to plummeting food standards. In this episode, we ask the views of two experts, Tola Amodu and Andrew Fearne. We ask them first of all about how food safety is regulated. They tell us about self-regulation all the way from the farm to the fork. We discuss the EU’s approach to food safety, what changed on 1 January 2021, and whether a decline in food standards is likely. Their answers are somewhat surprising in view of what we’ve been reading in the newspapers.
Week 7-11 June 2021
Financial Services – Sarah Hall (@drsarah_hall) and Scott James (@DrScottJames)
Professor Sarah Hall, Professor of Economic Geography, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Nottingham and Senior Fellow, The UK in a Changing Europe and Dr Scott James, Reader in Political Economy, King’s College London
Financial services are big business in the UK, and the sector is diverse. Banking is only one part. Others include pension funds, insurers, and hedge funds. Some are niche, others are more general. It is international. And, although the focus is usually on the City of London, there are other important financial centres in the UK. Sarah Hall and Scott James map out the financial services sector. They look at how financial services worked when the UK was part of the EU, the UK’s contribution to the EU system, as well as the tensions between the UK and its EU partners on how to approach regulation in the sector. They also look at what has changed with Brexit, including ‘passporting’ and how it has become more difficult to trade with the EU. As well as explaining why there was no cliff edge on 1 January 2021, they discuss whether London is under threat from Amsterdam, Dublin, Frankfurt and Paris, on-going tensions between the UK and the EU especially over financial equivalence, and the prospects for UK divergence
Transport Policy – Sarah Hall (@drsarah_hall), Martin Heneghan (@MartinHeneghan) and Hussein Kassim (@HusseinHKassim)
Professor Sarah Hall, Professor of Economic Geography, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Nottingham and Senior Fellow, The UK in a Changing Europe, Dr Martin Heneghan, Research Fellow, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Nottingham and Professor Hussein Kassim, Professor of Politics, School of Politics, Philosophy, Language and Communication Studies University of East Anglia, and Senior Fellow, The UK in a Changing Europe
Transport has been deeply affected by the UK’s departure from the EU and especially the single market. In this episode, we look at what changed in road, sea and air. Although the long queues of lorries at Dover did not materialise, we examine the challenges faced by road hauliers since the beginning of the year and discuss whether the new obstacles they confront are likely to disappear anytime soon. We ask about the impact on UK shipping and assess the effects on UK airlines. We also invite our guests consider the role of the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on traffic.
Week 14-18 June 2021
The Architecture of Regulation - Michael Harker (@michaeltharker) and Kathryn Wright (@UoYLaw)
Professor Michael Harker, Professor of Law, School of Law, University of East Anglia and Dr Kathryn Wright, Senior Lecturer in Law, York Law School, University of York
The UK regulatory model was defined by the arms’ length distance between politicians and regulators. It was intended to ensure that decisions that affected consumers, such as the price of water, gas or electricity, were insulated from the political process, taken for the long-term good of the economy, and not prey to short-term electoral promises. In this episode, Michael Harker and Kathryn Wright discuss the traditional model of UK regulation, the challenges it faces, and how it has been affected by Brexit. They consider whether UK regulators were ready for the transfer of regulatory responsibility from the EU, what they have gained and lost following the UK’s withdrawal from the EU’s regulatory system, and the likely direction of the future development of UK regulation.
Trade - David Bailey @dgbailey
Professor David Bailey, Business Economics at Birmingham University and Senior Fellow, The UK in a Changing Europe
Trade is central to Brexit and its consequences. In this episode, David Bailey discusses why trade matters and its importance to the UK. He explains what is distinctive about the EU’s single market, and examines what changed for the UK as a result of its departure from the EU. He looks at the processes and linkages that lie behind trade, considers what no deal and trading on WTO terms would have meant, and assesses whether the problems that have been experienced since 1 January 2021 are likely to temporary or permanent. We also ask David for his thoughts on the future and the deals that the UK has struck since it left the single market.
Intellectual Property – Sabine Jacques @Sabine_Jacques
Dr Sabine Jacques Associate Professor in IP, IT and Media Law, School of Law, the University of East Anglia
Intellectual property -- essentially, the protection of creative products made by the human brain — is both everywhere and elusive. In this episode, Sabine Jacques discusses the various forms of IP. She takes us through patents, trademarks, design and geographical indications, and explains why they matter and to whom. She explains the EU’s approach to IP and compares it to wider international rules and norms, considers what has changed for UK companies and consumers as a result of Brexit, and offers her thoughts on the prospects for UK divergence.