Podcast
Regional representation in trade policy
Published 3 June 2026
Series 8, Episode 9 - In this podcast, we examine the regional dimensions of UK trade policy. Trade affects everyone in every part of the United Kingdom, and the primary responsibility for external trade policy lies with the central UK government in London. However, a lot of the policy areas that are directly affected by trade, most notably agriculture, are controlled by the devolved administrations in Belfast, Cardiff, and Edinburgh. So how does this all fit together? How much say do Northern Ireland and our newly elected devolved governments in Wales and Scotland have over UK trade policy? How does devolution work for trade? To address these questions, are David Barnes (Scottish Government), Alexander Fitzpatrick (QUB / CITP / Wales Governance Centre), Lindsey Garner-Knapp (CITP / University of Sussex), Andrea Begley (Department for the Economy NI) and our host Chris Horseman (Borderlex).