Unbound Briefing Room – W/C 21 September 2026

Politico has been reporting that eleven European Union member states, including Germany, Italy and Poland, are calling on Brussels to stop producing new laws for twelve months and spend the year clearing up the ones it already has. EuroNews is now suggesting that the number has risen to thirteen.

This comes ahead of the launch of a new "Alliance for the Reduction of the Bureaucratic Burden" at the national and European levels. Of course, one of the many benefits of Brexit is that Britain does not have to wait for the pack, as long as Project Rejoin's so-called "reset" doesn't drag the UK back into the EU's regulatory minefield...

The Liberal Democrats have proposed large tax cuts in the form of increases in personal allowances. While we have no view on the merits of that idea, we are sceptical of the claim that the costs would be more than covered by a new "Growth and Defence Partnership with the EU" which "will secure a growth dividend worth £27 billion a year".

For a start, this plan involves rejoining the Single Market and forming a new UK-EU Customs Union, giving up all the Brexit freedoms. Would this really be acceptable to UK voters, even if the EU were willing to sign up to the plan?

Moreover, the "£27 billion" figure seems to be plucked from thin air. It is at least far lower than the £90 billion (+/-) in "lost tax revenues" that LibDem MPs usually parrot. But it still does not appear to take any account of the additional fiscal costs of the new "Partnership", including increased contributions to the EU budget, which could easily wipe out any fiscal benefits.

We wouldn't give much weight to the OECD's new economic forecasts, but it is still interesting that "Brexit Britain" is expected to grow as fast or faster than the euro area again in both 2026 and 2027, while France has now replaced Germany as Europe's "sick man". What's more, the euro area is expected to grow about half as fast as the US - why should the UK want to realign more closely with a failing economic bloc?

Our Advisory Council member Brian Monteith has written for The Scotsman on the hidden costs of rejoining the EU by stealth. You can read his article here.

Bloomberg is reporting that "Andy Burnham told Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Britain disagrees with the EU’s decision to lift sanctions on Russian billionaires Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman. The PM also told Zelenskyy the UK will not be lifting its own sanctions on Usmanov and Fridman"

Another example of how Brexit has made it easier for the UK to act independently of the EU on key foreign policy and security issues, in this case taking a tougher stance on Russia. Whether you agree with the decision or not, this is one the UK government should make.

Our Advisory Council member Julian Jessop has written comparing Mark Carney’s vision for Canada’s future relationship with the EU and Tony Blair’s ambition for the UK to rejoin the bloc. You can read his analysis here.

The EU is urging the UK to raise tariffs on Chinese cars to avoid the EU's proposed new "Made in Europe" barriers.

Two points from us. First, UK trade policy and tariffs should be set by the UK government (not possible if we rejoin the EU, or even just a customs union).

Second, if "Made in Europe” is genuinely intended to reduce dependency on China – not merely to increase EU protectionism – then there should be no debate: the UK is, of course, in Europe!