WTFC Episode 2 – Catherine McBride on Trump, tariffs and trade

When The Facts Change - Episode 2 Catherine McBride OBE is one of the world’s leading trade economists. She served on the UK’s Trade and Agriculture Commission from 2021 to 2024, scrutinising the UK’s Free Trade Agreements with Australia and New Zealand, as well as the UK’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. She has written numerous papers on trade, agricultural policy, financial services regulation, and corporate governance for various think tanks, co-authored papers on geopolitics and the impact of climate policy on economic growth, and regularly speaks at conferences about international trade and Brexit. Previously, Catherine worked in financial services in the City of London, and more recently, she worked for the Institute of Economic Affairs and the Legatum Institute, now the Prosperity Institute. In this comprehensive interview, Catherine explores the motivations behind Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariff policies, explains how “the rest of the world was much more protectionist against the US than vice-versa” and why she thinks “there may be method in Trump’s madness”. She comments on the UK’s relations with the EU, highlights why the motivation behind India’s recent trade deal with Britain may be President Modi desire to position India as “the new China”, and laments that “the governor of the Bank of England has lately said some really stupid things”. For more writing and content by Liam Halligan, please go to https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ X: @liamhalligan