Brexit round-up – 29/05/20
29th May, 2020
Welcome to this, our latest Brexit round-up. Each week we provide a succinct round-up of the latest news surrounding the Brexit process, so you can keep abreast of the issues which are likely to affect your organisation.
“Constructive engagement by the UK” needed in Brexit talks says Barnier
EU chief negotiator Michael Barnier has said that a “new dynamism” is needed in EU-UK Brexit talks in order for things to progress. Following a letter from David Frost to Mr Barnier which criticised the EU’s approach to the negotiations, Mr Barnier said the UK “cannot expect high-quality access to the EU single market if it is not prepared to accept guarantees to ensure that competition remains open and fair.” The fourth round of talks will take place from 1 June and Mr Barnier said “The next round must bring this new dynamism in order to avoid a stalemate. I remain convinced that with mutual respect and constructive engagement by the UK across the board, on all issues on the negotiating table, we can move forward in the limited available time.”
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Brexit advantage for Northern Ireland
DUP agriculture minister Edwin Poots has said that Northern Ireland could benefit from Brexit as it will be able to access both the EU market and the UK single market which could make it an attractive place for investment, provided that it can minimise new checks with the rest of the UK post Brexit. He said “We would have the advantage of actually having access to the Single Market and to the UK market, and make NI an attractive place for inward investment. So we need to be very sure that we can actually maximise that advantage, whilst at the other side minimising the disadvantage.”
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Government wants to change Human Rights Act
The EU have requested that as a condition of any deal the UK remain a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights but UK negotiators have refused saying it is an issue of “sovereignty.” This week Michel Gove has said that the UK does not want to commit to human rights in writing as a condition of the trade deal with the EU after the transition period as it wants to retain the option to change the Human Rights Act. He said that the Government might want to “enhance” legislation on human rights “in all sorts of ways.” He told the future relationship with the EU select committee “It is a question of sovereignty: to say that one particular legislative mechanism is pristine perfect and cannot be changed unless you secure the permission of another sovereign entity is I think an infringement of sovereignty. Some people might argue that it was justified but it is nevertheless an infringement.”
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If you have any questions about any of the issues which are raised, or would like to discuss your own organisation’s options during the Brexit process, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Please note that this briefing is designed to be informative, not advisory and represents our understanding of English law and practice as at the date indicated. We would always recommend that you should seek specific guidance on any particular legal issue.
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