From 1 January checks and paperwork will finally begin and EU exporters face a rude awakening• ‘It won’t be easy’: the European exporters battling Brexit bureaucracyEU exporters of cheese, car parts and other goods are facing a mountain of red tape to …
Asia’s factory workers at the sharp end of the west’s supply chain crisis
Migrant workers ate and slept in factories swarming with Covid, sealed off from outside worldFor weeks, Hoang Thi Quynh* worked and slept inside a garment factory in Tien Giang province, in southern Vietnam. She would start her shift at 7.15am and then…
IMF cuts global economic forecast as pandemic ‘hobbles’ growth
Fund chief Kristalina Georgieva says most serious obstacle to full recovery remains Covid vaccine divide between rich and poor statesThe head of the International Monetary Fund has warned the world economy remains “hobbled” by the Covid-19 pandemic as …
‘A perfect storm’: supply chain crisis could blow world economy off course
From Liverpool to LA, shortages of energy, labour and transport are threatening recovery from CovidHow the supply chain crisis is affecting six big economiesIt was all going so well. Successful vaccination programmes were driving the post-pandemic reco…
The global supply chain crisis could fuel a severe dose of stagflation
Economic observers should heed the warnings now – rising prices and slowing growth are a very real threatHow will the global economy and markets evolve over the next year? There are four scenarios that could follow the “mild stagflation” of the last fe…
Britain’s hopes of early post-Brexit trade deal with US appear dashed
Little likelihood of progress on free-trade agreement as Biden focuses attention elsewhere, say insidersBritain’s hopes of a post-Brexit trade deal with the US have all but evaporated barring a dramatic change of heart from Joe Biden, it emerged on Tue…
The west must engage with the Taliban and provide financial support
The gains of the past 20 years in Afghanistan will be lost unless we keep funding social infrastructureAfghanistan is on the brink of economic meltdown. Millions of people are going hungry. Teachers and doctors are going unpaid. The social infrastructu…
Brexit: food and drink exports to EU suffer ‘disastrous’ decline
First-half sales fall £2bn, says industry body, as barriers are compounded by staff shortagesExports of food and drink to the EU have suffered a “disastrous” decline in the first half of the year because of Brexit trade barriers, with sales of beef and…
Ian Botham appointed UK trade ambassador to Australia
Former England cricketer and crossbench peer will ‘bat for business down under’, says Liz TrussIan Botham, the former England cricketer and crossbench peer, has been appointed a UK trade ambassador to Australia, the government has announced.He is one o…
Labour says PPE orders must not go to Xinjiang firms that use forced workers
Exclusive: Emily Thornberry appeals to Sajid Javid to tackle issue of forced labour in Chinese provinceLabour has written to the health secretary, Sajid Javid, urging him to ensure a new £5bn contract for NHS protective equipment including gowns and ma…