Media Coverage

Commenting on British white paper, Gregor Irwin, Global Counsel Chief Economist said: 

"There's certainly a softer Brexit for goods. It's a harder Brexit for services because the government has said it can tolerate a much looser arrangement with the EU. And services is a bigger part of the British economy than manufacturing."

A move by President Donald Trump to impose tariffs on cars assembled in Europe would dramatically escalate trade tensions and produce a quick response from the European Union.

The European Union will chose its targets from US imports worth about €256 billion ($299 billion) each year.

"The targets will be a combination of iconic US brands and politically sensitive agricultural products," said Gregor Irwin, chief economist at Global Counsel.

It doesn't look like we're any closer at this point to knowing what Brexit is going to look like. The longer that goes on, what sort of damage is it doing to the UK economy? Gregor Irwin, Chief Economist, Global Counsel, said: The longer that that goes on, the more likely we are to see firms, investors beginning to implement their contingency plans. There will be planning on the worst case scenario which might even be that there's no deal at all by the time UK leaves the EU, and certainly there'll be planning on the basis that there will be some disruption at the end of transition periods.

The leaders of the world's largest economies are at each others' throats over tariffs. Should they be?

"It's just entirely wrong to focus on one sector," said Gregor Irwin, chief economist at Global Counsel. "There is room for improvement in the EU-US relationship, but it certainly requires concessions on both sides."

Europe is fighting back against President Donald Trump's attempt to isolate Iran with new rules aimed at protecting European companies from US sanctions.

"I think [today's move is] definitely a signal to the Iranians that the EU will not give up without a fight with the US," said Thomas Gratowski, an Iran expert at the advisory firm Global Counsel.

President Donald Trump is pulling the US out of the Iran nuclear deal and bringing back harsh economic sanctions. But it's how European governments and companies respond that may matter most.

The EU could use a "blocking regulation" to counteract US sanctions and allow trade to continue. "Not everyone in Europe, especially among European companies, is confident that [this rule would] allow the continuation of business with Iran," said Thomas Gratowski, an Iran expert at the advisory firm Global Counsel. "Its practical value is probably much lower than its symbolic value."

A trade war and a new Cold War are threatening to rip apart the global economy. That's the springtime message from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.

Assessing the IMF's report card, it provided a "fairly positive picture," says Gregor Irwin, chief economist at Global Counsel. "Global prospects are good, one or two clouds on the horizon, concerns about protectionism, concerns about financial vulnerabilities in China."

A recent debate of the Digital Infrastructure Panel (hosted by law firm Herbert Smith Freehills), which included representatives from BT, Hyperoptic and Virgin Media, has highlighted government policy and regulation as the key barrier to large-scale investment in “full fibre” broadband.

Geoffrey Norris, Senior Advisor (Global Counsel), said: “Across the UK political class, ambitions and expectations about broadband and 5G are high and rising, and are likely to lead to Governments of whatever political complexion to become more interventionist in the pursuit or realising them".

US sanctions aimed at punishing Russian oligarchs close to President Vladimir Putin could make your soda habit or luxury car more expensive.

"Businesses just don't want to deal with even a remote risk of getting on the wrong side of US authorities," said Gregor Irwin, chief economist at the political advisory firm Global Counsel.

A new report commissioned by the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) and the National Association of British and Irish Flour Millers (NABIM) from Global Counsel has revealed that the UK's food and drink manufacturing sector could face a hidden 'hard Brexit' once the UK leaves the EU as a result of rules of origin.