A thread from Newnight's new policy editor on Sajid Javid's interview with the FT...
Lewis Goodall: Two points:-final acceptance that referendum promise that we’d have exactly the same benefits of the single market was false.-pledging to double economic growth at the same time as leaving world‘s biggest trade bloc seems, erm, ambitious.Alternative trade deals won’t come online for years (if earlier it’s probably a sign they’re v basic) and as studies show, benefits of FTAs are pretty modest. Civil service estimates suggest that the biggest one, a US deal, will boost UK GDP by only 0.2% *after 15 years*.Mr Javid was once rather more alive to these concerns:Mr Javid was right then. It is difficult to imagine how an economy can undertake runaway growth whilst erecting significant trade barriers with its closest and most significant trading partner. Unless of course, they have some drastic plans on labour laws, regulation...And even that prob wouldn’t be enough. After all, cuts to domestic regulation in some areas will be matched by increases in the regulatory burden on business that divergence will inevitably bring.
...brought a response from former senior BBC editor turned Theresa May communications director Robbie Gibb:
The rules in question, with Robbie alleges Lewis broke, are:Robbie Gibb: Applying my impartiality check to this twitter thread it fails on 1,2,3,6,8,9 and 15. Apart from that it’s great.
1) Always make impartiality the number one priority or it will take second place to other considerations.2) On social media and broadcast it should not be possible to work out any journalist’s political views.3) On Twitter look at your tweets in the round, check they don’t all point in one direction.6) You can’t be both an impartial journalist and commentator - choose one or the other.8) Don’t pretend you can predict the future - you can’t and your guess isn’t news.9) Show some humility - you probably don’t know as much as the person you are criticising.15) Avoid loaded language, it gives away your bias.
An unfriendly exchange then ensued:
Lewis Goodall: Thanks for this Robbie. Maybe one day, if I’m as impartial as you, I can get a knighthood too.Robbie Gibb: My advice to you is listen to constructive criticism and try and improve.
