Our activities UKTPO Fifth Annual Conference: Trade Policy and Sustainable Futures Friday 2nd December 2022 Chatham House, St James's Square, London In-person only event. Please register here. [bs_collapse id="collapse_223e-9e63"][bs_citem title="Event details" id="citem_99a6-b262" parent="collapse_223e-9e63"] We have seen significant economic and political shifts in recent years with the Covid-19 pandemic, the escalating climate crisis, the disruptions caused by Brexit in Europe as well as the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war continuing to change the global economic and political order. These shifts provide an impetus and opportunity to open new and old debates about the role of international trade. This interdisciplinary conference seeks to bring together economists, lawyers, political scientists, international relations scholars, and policy experts to consider some of the core emerging issues, as well as the latest evidence and thinking on the consequences for sustainable international trade, and trade policy. PROGRAMME 9.15 - 9.45 Registration & Coffee (30 minutes) 9.45 - 10.00 Welcome and introduction (10 minutes) - Emily Lydgate (UK Trade Policy Observatory/University of Sussex) 10.00-11.00 - Session 1: Post-Brexit trade - Chair: Camilla Jensen (UK Trade Policy Observatory, University of Sussex and Roskilde University) 10.00 - 10.20 UK Trade in the Wake of Brexit - Thomas Sampson (London School of Economics [...]

UKTPO Fellows Professor L. Alan Winters, Director UKTPO, Professor of Economics, University of Sussex Professor Jim Rollo, Deputy Director of UKTPO, Emeritus Professor of Economic Integration, University of Sussex Dr Ingo Borchert, UKTPO Fellow, Lecturer in Economics, University of Sussex Dr Kamala Dawar, UKTPO Fellow, Lecturer in Law, University of Sussex Dr Michael Gasiorek, UKTPO Fellow, Lecturer in Economics, University of Sussex Dr Peter Holmes, UKTPO Fellow, Lecturer in Economics, University of Sussex Dr Emily Lydgate, UKTPO Fellow, Lecturer in Law, University of Sussex Professor Steven McGuire, UKTPO Fellow, Professor of Business and Public Policy, University of Sussex Professor Giordano Mion, UKTPO Fellow, Professor in International Trade, University of Sussex Professor Alasdair Smith, UKTPO Fellow, Emeritus Professor of Economics, University of Sussex Professor Erika Szyszczak, UKTPO Fellow, Professor of Law, University of Sussex Professor Rorden Wilkinson, UKTPO Fellow, Professor of Global Political Economy, University of Sussex Dr Sambit Bhattacharyya, Associate UKTPO Fellow, Senior Lecturer in Economics        

UKTPO in the media 2025 UK accused of undermining WTO rules with US trade deal POLITICO, 22 May 2025 British Consumers Are Skeptical of American Meat. Can They Change? The New York Times, 15 May 2025 UK-EU summit begins with last-minute deal on veterinary controls and fishing access Trade News, 19 May 2025 Cars, cows, crops: the winners and losers from Donald Trump’s trade deal with Britain Financial Times, 08 May 2025 Trump’s ‘bonkers’ tariffs are a product of ignorance Times Radio, 03 April 2025 Britain avoids worst of Trump’s tariffs, but risks remain for Starmer Financial Times, 03 April 2025 What price will the UK pay for a trade deal with Donald Trump? Financial Times, 01 April 2025 Donald Trump’s steel tariffs hit UK exports with $3.4bn at risk The Times, 23 March 2025 Trump's tragic tariffs The New World, 29 January 2025 2024 How can the UK leverage the CPTPP for economic and strategic effect? Britain's World, 20 December 2024 Trade, tech, defence: UK braces for policy flashpoints with Trump’s US Financial Times, 7 November 2024 Are you better off than four years ago? Why US voters should – but can’t – say [...]

How do tariffs work? Some of our explainers on the tariff-hikes announced by the Trump administration: A beginner's guide to tariffs: Why are they harmful? Tariffs on services: the film industry The long game beyond tariffs Our latest publications Read our latest blogs and Briefing Papers. EFRA’s key recommendations for a UK-EU SPS Agreement Why does the India-EU FTA matter? NEW - UK Trade Policy: An Independent Review A new blog series summarises each chapter of our independent assessment of UK trade policy. FIND OUT MORE Latest news Nothing Found

Our team Co-Directors Michael Gasiorek Co-director Emily Lydgate Co-director Deputy Directors Ingo Borchert Deputy Director Mattia Di Ubaldo Deputy Director Fiona Smith Deputy Director Observatory fellows Achyuth Anil Chloe Anthony Adriana Brenis Sir Jonathan Faull Bernard Hoekman Peter Holmes Bridget Kauma Phoebe Li Patrick Low Minako Morita-Jaeger Ziho Park Barry Reilly Jim Rollo Sunayana Sasmal Anupama Sen Alasdair Smith Ana Soares-Peres Sahana Suraj Erika Szyszczak Nicolo Tamberi Carolina Toschi Maciel Manuel Tong Koecklin L. Alan Winters Maurizio Zanardi Associate Fellows James Bacchus Distinguished University Professor of Global Affairs and Director, Center for Global Economic and Environmental Opportunity at the University of Central Florida View profile Richard Baldwin President of the Centre of Economic Policy [...]

Special reports In addition to our Briefing Paper and blog series, the Observatory also produces various other written materials as categorised below. Written evidence and consultation responses Academic papers and reports Special Reports In this new article published in the House of Commons Library, Ana Peres looks at the role of trade tariffs in the current geopolitical context, the effects on the UK, and the unpredictability of Trump’s policies. Since taking office on 20 January 2025, US President Donald Trump has imposed trade tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports, and increased tariffs on China, Canada and Mexico. He has threatened to impose more tariffs on other countries to achieve different geopolitical goals. This Insight looks at the role of trade tariffs in the current geopolitical context and effects on the UK. It highlights the unpredictability of Trump’s policies in a fast-moving area. WTO: Challenges and Opportunities This House of Commons Library research briefing by Ana Soares discusses the WTO’s role in a context of geopolitical tensions and global economic shifts. It also looks at efforts to overcome current challenges. The World Trade Organization (WTO) is a multilateral organisation where countries meet [...]