Minister of state for Europe, the Rt Hon David Lidington, is the keynote speaker for the launch of The UK in a Changing Europe on Wednesday 28 October.
The minister will talk about the UK’s renegotiations with the European Union and will be taking questions.
The UK in a Changing Europe is a new initiative which will provide rigorous, independent research into debates on UK-EU issues. It is the authoritative, impartial reference point for those looking for analysis on UK-EU relations.
The landmark initiative is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and based at King’s College London.
The launch will feature introductions from Professor Anand Menon, The UK in a Changing Europe’s director, and Dr Alan Gillespie, ESRC’s chair. Policy-makers, researchers, diplomats, campaigners from Leave and Remain organisations, business people, students, academics, journalists and the general public will be attending the event.
Professor Menon said: “The EU referendum is going to be one of the most highly charged and emotional debates the country has had in decades. Our initiative aims to inject objective, research based evidence into these discussions.
“We are not campaigners. We aren’t agitating in favour, or against, a particular outcome. We want to make the findings of the best academic research on the EU available to people so they can make up their own minds on the basis of the evidence.”
Nine senior academics make up The UK in a Changing Europe’s team, all leaders in their fields, covering issues including politics, economics, law, immigration, migration, constitutional change, European institutions and public opinion.
Fellows include Professor John Curtice, the polling expert; Professor Simon Hix whose expertise lies in EU politics, elections and decision-making and Professor Matthew Goodwin whose research interest is euroscepticism and immigration.
Kristine Zaidi, ESRC’s The UK in a Changing Europe lead said: “The consequences of an EU in-out referendum will be highly significant, regardless of the outcome, and it’s absolutely crucial that the best possible independent research-based evidence is available to inform those who need it. The ESRC is uniquely placed to provide such high-quality information to inform the debate.”
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