I notice on a daily basis that the Guardian conveniently omits investigating the UK's 74 deregulated SEZs and 12 Freeports from its business reporting pages.
UK SEZs include corporate tax breaks for 10 years.
SEZ licenses are for 25 years.
Taxpayers are subsidising corporations in SEZs to the tune of £160 million per SEZ x 74 = £11 billion 840 million in State aid (public money)
The UK's SEZs contravene EU laws on State aid, it is illegal for govts of member states to give money to chosen companies solely for profit purposes, why?
Because this would distort the EU's Single Market creating an unlevel playing field.
UK SEZs are the silent killers of the public sector.
Watch as local councils get dismantled, replaced by mega-councils with CEO type Mayors. This is all about 'localised freedoms' which is neoliberal speak for handing big govt powers to corporations like Blackrock.
Metro Mayors like Andy Burnham, and Steve Rotheram are really just middlemen for corporate interests. Labour councillors with 'corporate expertise' were parachuted into constituencies during the 2024 GE campaign. These were henchmen of Morgan McSweeney and Peter Mandelson, they elbowed out councillors who had known their local residents for years.
Right-wing economists and libertarians alike have for decades sought ways to remove the obstacle of democracy in the pursuit of power and profit.
SEZs are the antithesis of collective sovereignty, which is people power.
Corporate sovereignty is the asset classes power.
They don't call SEZs 'carve-outs' for nothing, SEZs have separate laws and regulations to the host country, and these are tailored for corporate needs, 'laws as services that companies demand' said Shanker Singham, the brains behind Brexit, the man who developed deregulatory frameworks for SEZs at Babson Global.