Welcome
The Federal Trust is a research institute studying the interactions between regional, national, European and global levels of government. Founded in 1945 on the initiative of Sir William Beveridge, it has long made a powerful contribution to the study of federalism and federal systems. It has always had a particular interest in the European Union and Britain’s place in it.
The Federal Trust has no allegiance to any political party. It is registered as a charity for the purposes of education and research.
Read the Federal Trust’s Statement on Rejoining the European Union.
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FEATURED ARTICLE
VIDEO: Is an EU-UK Defence Pact on the Cards after Brexit?
Our Director Brendan Donnelly and Chair John Stevens discuss the prospects and pitfalls for a defence pact between the UK and EU. They argue that if Donald Trump is the next President of the United States, the conclusion of such a pact will be much more difficult. Under a Trump Presidency [...]
RECENTLY PUBLISHED
VIDEO: Is an EU-UK Defence Pact on the Cards after Brexit?
Our Director Brendan Donnelly and Chair John Stevens discuss the prospects and pitfalls for a defence pact between the UK and EU. They argue that if Donald Trump is the next President of the United States, [...]
PODCAST: Is an EU-UK Defence Pact on the Cards after Brexit?
Our Director Brendan Donnelly and Chair John Stevens discuss the prospects and pitfalls for a defence pact between the UK and EU. They argue that if Donald Trump is the next President of the United [...]
VIDEO: Brexit – Too Hot To Handle in the General Election
Our Chair John Stevens and Director Brendan Donnelly discuss the implications of the General Election’s results for relations between the UK and the EU. They warn that the Labour Party will not gain much purchase [...]
PODCAST: Brexit – Too Hot To Handle in the General Election?
Our Chair John Stevens and Director Brendan Donnelly discuss the implications of the General Election’s results for relations between the UK and the EU. They warn that the Labour Party will not gain much purchase [...]
VIDEO: Will Labour unpick Brexit?
In this new Federal Trust video, our Director Brendan Donnelly and our Chair John Stevens discuss the likely evolution of a Labour government’s approach towards the EU. They argue that political pragmatism and economic reality [...]
PODCAST: Will Labour unpick Brexit?
In this new episode of the Federal Trust podcast, Brendan Donnelly and John Stevens discuss the likely evolution of a Labour government’s approach towards the EU. They argue that political pragmatism and economic reality may [...]
VIDEO: Brexit – A Prison for Young People?
The Brexit debate in the UK remains confused and confusing. In this new Federal Trust video, our Director Brendan Donnelly and Chair John Stevens discuss the irony of both Rejoiners and Brexiters discussing the recent [...]
PODCAST: Brexit – A Prison for Young People?
The Brexit debate in the UK remains confused and confusing. In this new episode of the Federal Trust podcast, Brendan Donnelly and John Stevens discuss the irony of both Rejoiners and Brexiters discussing the recent [...]
EVENT: A federal Canada and a federal Europe
30th April 2024 Hybrid event on Canadian federalism, jointly organised with Federal Union. The main speaker (via Zoom) was M. Jean Charest, former Premier of Quebec (2023-2012) and former Deputy Prime Minister of Canada (1993), [...]
VIDEO: Brexit – The Debate Continues
In this new Federal Trust video, Brendan Donnelly and John Stevens review some recent surprising contributions to the Brexit debate. They suggest that the debate on Brexit continues to evolve, even though leading politicians do [...]