Roundtable Abstract

Post-Brexit, the United Kingdom (UK) faces significant economic and constitutional challenges.  The independence movement in Scotland has never been stronger and in Northern Ireland the balance between those who wish to remain part of the UK and those who wish unity with the Irish republic is shifting in favour of the latter.  Both entities voted to remain in the European Union (EU).  Will Brexit be the straw that breaks the UK apart?  Whatever happens in the trade negotiations between the EU and the UK, Britain’s access to the European Single Market will not be as open as it is today.  What impact will this have on the UK’s manufacturing industry, inward investment and services market?

About the Speaker

David Martin was a Scottish Labour Member of the European Parliament for 35 years (1984-2019). He was the longest serving UK MEP and longest serving Vice President of the Parliament (1989-2004), gaining extensive experience of the political systems in Scotland and Europe and effective forms of engaging with the public. He was the European Parliament’s spokesperson on the Maastricht and Amsterdam Treaties. As a senior member of the International Trade Committee he was responsible for steering numerous trade agreements through the Parliament including the Singapore Agreement. Based on this experience, he was appointed Professor of Public Policy at the University of Glasgow. In 2013 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of the Punjab for services to EU-Pakistan relations. David is a member of the First Minister’s Standing Council on Europe which provides advice to the First Minister on Brexit and the European Union. In summer 2019 he was appointed as co-convener of the Citizens’ Assembly of Scotland. He holds a BA in Economics and an MA in European Law.