State aid: a dealbreaker for the UK?

This is an audio recording of an IfG Live Event

As the deadline for reaching a deal with the EU approaches, state aid remains a major obstacle to any future partnership. A recent IfG paper, Beyond State Aid, set out why the UK should adopt a domestic subsidy control regime, deal or no deal. But the government has so far been unwilling to commit to a domestic regime, or to any further commitments on subsidies that could secure a deal with the EU. And the government is legislating to override the state aid provisions of the Northern Ireland protocol agreed with the EU last year through its controversial UK Internal Market Bill.

Both sides are now making positive noises about the prospect of a deal, but on state aid their public positions remain very far apart and both will need to move if a deal is to be reached.

The event asks:

• Why is state aid an issue in the negotiations?
• Is a compromise possible with the EU?
• With the end of the Brexit implementation period looming, should and can the UK plot a new course on state aid rules?
• How can the state aid provisions in the Northern Ireland protocol be addressed?

Panellists

• George Peretz QC, Barrister at Monckton Chambers
• Allie Renison, Head of EU and Trade Policy at the Institute of Directors
• James Webber, Partner at Shearman & Sterling

This event was chaired by Thomas Pope, Senior Economist at the Institute for Government.

#IfGstateaid

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