How do we make trade policy in Britain? How should we

Since Brexit, the UK has been responsible for its own trade policymaking rather than inputting into the collective policy of the European Union. This paper starts by sketching how that policy has been developed and implemented and how it is turning out. Overall, it is not very complimentary about the UK Government's efforts and so it then moves on to consider how we might do better. One dimension of this is how trade policy could be made more inclusive in formulation. I propose three (sets of) institutional reforms: increasing Parliamentary (and other) scrutiny of the government's trade policy plans; after examining how the UK public thinks about trade policy, it asks whether (how) one should take into account public attitudes to trade policy issues; finally, it argues for creating an independent source of advice and analysis on trade policy. It concludes by noting that while recent history has been disappointing, trade policy by any government would be improved by the reforms recommended

Brexit · Commercial policy · Economic growth · Economics · European union · International trade · Political science · Public policy · Scrutiny · Trade union · European Union Policy and Governance · Law · Political and Economic history of UK and US · Public Administration · Regional Development and Policy

• Taking back control? Democracy and UK trade policy after Brexit

  Open Access•Stephen R Hurt•British Politics•2026

  Add to list