Five years since leaving the European Union, Britain has not yet taken advantage of the levers of free trade, writes Ted Newson

Britain has secured a significant win for Scotland’s iconic whisky industry, with China agreeing to cut tariffs on Scotch whisky from 10 per cent to 5 per cent.

Trump’s shifting Greenland strategy at Davos unsettles NATO, strains transatlantic trust, and leaves the UK balancing sovereignty principles against alliance stability

EU institutions have postponed the release of a long-anticipated industrial policy instrument, a move that has frustrated several national governments and delayed work on broader competitiveness initiatives. Reporting by EU policy outlets says the so-called Competitiveness Coordination tool has been delayed again, slowing progress on related Council workstreams tied to the European Competitiveness Fund and other flagship programmes.

The European Parliament has backed its negotiating position on the EU’s proposed Critical Medicines Act, a flagship attempt to curb shortages and reduce reliance on external suppliers for key drugs and ingredients. The vote gives MEPs a mandate for talks with member states and the Commission on a law first tabled in March 2025, as Brussels pushes to boost production capacity inside the bloc while making procurement rules less dependent on lowest price awards.

Thousands of farmers descended on the streets of Strasbourg and other European cities this week ahead of a key vote in the European Parliament on the controversial trade deal between the European Union and the Mercosur bloc of South American countries.

Davos is meant to be the place where the global public affairs class can compress a year of stakeholder management into five days, with a badge, a diary, and a blizzard outside. In 2026 it is also where the public language of cooperation collides with the private mechanics of leverage.

Trump secures ceasefire through dealmakers, but long term peace remains uncertain

Bayer’s crop science ambitions gain momentum as the EU eases regulation of gene edited plants, opening pathways for agricultural innovation

China is projected to grow 4.8 per cent in 2026, with export performance supporting economic expansion despite ongoing domestic challenges.