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 – Has Brexit Cost Us £40bn? The economic consequences of leaving the EU
In this Federal Trust video, John Springford asks whether the economic consequences of Brexit have been as negative as its opponents predicted. He concludes that these predictions were broadly accurate and the fiscal position of the UK is today considerably worse than it would have been without Brexit. WATCH THE [...]
RECENTLY PUBLISHED
The Federal-Confederal Letters
by David Melding and Glyndwr Cennydd Jones July 2025 sees the release of the booklet The Federal-Confederal Letters by David Melding, member of the Federal Trust Council, and Glyndwr Cennydd Jones, which includes their correspondence [...]
PODCAST – Has Brexit Cost Us £40bn? The economic consequences of leaving the EU
In this podcast episode, John Springford asks whether the economic consequences of Brexit have been as negative as its opponents predicted. He concludes that these predictions were broadly accurate and the fiscal position of the [...]
VIDEO – Has Brexit Cost Us £40bn? The economic consequences of leaving the EU
In this Federal Trust video, John Springford asks whether the economic consequences of Brexit have been as negative as its opponents predicted. He concludes that these predictions were broadly accurate and the fiscal position of [...]
The Economic Impact of Brexit, Nine Years On: Was the Consensus Right?
A new report by John Springford, commissioned by the Constitution Society and the Federal Trust, analyses the economic impact of Brexit nine years after the UK voted to leave the EU. The Economic Impact [...]
Why the EU must commit itself to its democracies – and why that matters for the United Kingdom
‘The EU can only thrive if its democracy thrives’, Ursula von der Leyen confidently claimed in her acceptance speech of the Charlemagne Prize in May 2025. Yet, the Commission President presents the EU in its [...]
VIDEO: Brexit Reset or Brexit Betrayal?
In this new video, Andrew Blick and Brendan Donnelly discuss the announced "reset" of relations between the UK and EU. They conclude that, given the government's self-imposed "red lines" little more could realistically have been [...]
PODCAST: Brexit Reset or Brexit Betrayal?
In this new podcast episode, Andrew Blick and Brendan Donnelly discuss the announced "reset" of relations between the UK and EU. They conclude that, given the government's self-imposed "red lines" little more could realistically have [...]
VIDEO: Brexit Doesn’t Work, Federalism Does
Andrew Blick and Brendan Donnelly discuss the need for more international cooperation in the face of the environmental and populist challenges facing the whole planet. WATCH HERE Or in the player below: SPEAKERS: Andrew Blick [...]
PODCAST: Brexit Doesn’t Work, Federalism Does
Andrew Blick and Brendan Donnelly discuss the need for more international cooperation in the face of the environmental and populist challenges facing the whole planet. LISTEN HERE Or in the player below: Brexit doesn’t work, [...]
Prospects for democracy: a new view from the past
In this article, Andrew Blick and Alex Loktionov look to the past to identify precedents, patterns, and differences against which we can assess current concerns about the global prospects for democracy. Authors: Andrew Blick is [...]
