James Webber (London-Antitrust) spoke on an Institute for Government Live panel which was made available as a podcast entitled “State aid: A dealbreaker for the UK?” on 8 October.

As the deadline for reaching a deal with the EU approaches, state aid remains a major obstacle to any future partnership. James joined fellow panelists George Peretz QC, Monckton Chambers, and Allie Renison, Head of EU and Trade Policy, Institute of Directors, and chair Thomas Pope, Senior Economist at the Institute for Government to discuss: 

• 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? and 
• How can the state aid provisions in the Northern Ireland Protocol be addressed?