Donald Trump’s claim that Theresa May’s approach to Brexit has wrecked a possible UK/US trade deal catches the headlines, but it will be pedestrians that act as a major road block to any agreement at least for automobiles. This is because the US and UK are miles apart on safety standards designed to reduce the…
Britain’s Brexit Car Crash – Or How to Become a Second-Hand Dealer in EU Vehicle Regulations
Taking back control was the major selling point of Brexit. But people are also concerned about their chances of survival in road crashes and the quality of the air they breathe. The hard reality is, that outside the Single Market, Britain will become just a second-hand dealer in European Union (EU) vehicle safety and emission…
Trust But Verify
On 18th September 2015 the United States Environmental Protection Agency sent a notice of violation to Volkswagen and the scandal known as ‘Dieselgate’ went public for the first time. Just two days earlier, the International Organisation of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (OICA) had released a public opinion survey entitled, ‘The Global Image and Reputation of the…
Making an Impact: How the UK Led a European Wide Campaign to Make Cars Safer
Saving tens of thousands of lives in road crashes is a proud achievement. That is why the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) has earned the right to celebrate twenty years making cars safer. Together with mandatory crash test standards, Euro NCAP’s safety ratings have cut by half the number of vehicle occupant deaths…
Learning from John Smith: Labour must fight Brexit to fight austerity
It is an anniversary the Tories may prefer to forget. Twenty-five years ago, September 16 1992, better known as ‘Black Wednesday’, the day the Pound was forced out of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM). This humiliation of John Major’s government delivered fatal damage to the Tory Party’s reputation for economic competence and ignited a…