The government is planning to establish freeports at eight new locations – East Midlands Airport, Felixstowe & Harwich, Humber, Liverpool City Region, Plymouth, Solent, Thames and Teesside. The idea of freeports has been a theme in Tory circles for many years now. Back in 2016, the Centre for Policy Studies, a think tank, published The Free Ports Opportunity – written by none other than Rishi Sunak himself, then just a freshly elected backbench MP. Many, however, remain unconvinced by the case being made for them.