The Centre for International Borders Research at Queen’s University Belfast is delighted to host Shanker Singham (Institute of Economic Affairs) and Tony Smith (Fortinus Global) for a public seminar on The Future of UK Borders after Brexit on Friday 31 August 2018 at 1.30pm.

To register, please click here. 

The event will begin with opening comments from Dr Katy Hayward (Queen’s University Belfast) followed by a presentation from our two guests. There will be substantial time for a Question and Answer session.

A sandwich lunch will be provided at 1.00pm.

Time: 1pm lunch for 1.30pm start. The event will conclude by 3pm.

Date: Friday 31st August 2018

Venue: Moot Law Court, 2nd floor, Main Tower, Queen’s University Belfast

The speakers:

Shanker Singham is the Director of the International Trade and Competition Unit (ITCU) of the Institute of Economic Affairs. The ITCU is focused on providing advice to the UK government, industry and media on the Brexit negotiations, among other trade policy issues. As one of the world’s leading trade and competition lawyers, he has worked on the privatisation of the UK electricity market, the transition of the Soviet, Central and Eastern European economies and the apertura in Latin America. He has worked on the accession of Poland and Hungary to the EU, the WTO accessions of a number of countries, including China and Russia. https://iea.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Shanker-Singham-about.pdf

Tony Smith CBE is the former Director General of UK Border Force. Tony has the unique distinction of having served as Head of Borders in two different countries – Citizenship and Immigration Canada (2000 – 2003) and the UK Immigration Service (2005 – 2007). He played a significant role in the operational response to the terrorist attacks in North America on 9/11 and in the UK on 7/7. Since retiring from government service, Tony has provided strategic and operational advice to senior officials and Ministers on modern border management techniques and immigration reform programmes and strategies in Australia, Malaysia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. https://www.fortinusglobal.com/our-team/

Katy Hayward is Reader in Sociology and a Fellow of the Senator George Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security & Justice at Queen’s University. She has 20 years’ research experience on the impact of the EU on the Irish border and peace process, including as a partner on the current Canadian SSHRC-funded ‘Borders in Globalization’ programme. She is the author of over 130 publications, including the most recent report Brexit at the Border: voices from local communities in the Central Border Region of Ireland/Northern Ireland (2018).

Queen’s is pleased to acknowledge funding support from the ESRC UK in a Changing Europe initiative.