Skip to content

Brexit round-up – 03/05/19

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.

Brexit cross-party talks “productive”

Following weeks of cross-party negotiations after the Prime Minister’s Brexit deal was rejected by MPs, the PM’s de facto deputy, David Liddington, has described the recent talks as “positive” and “productive.”  Ministers are aiming to get MP consent to the terms of the Brexit deal by 22 May so the UK does not need to take part in EU elections.  To date, no agreement has been reached with issues regarding any customs union with the EU post-Brexit and demand for a further public vote being some of the issues on which discussions continue.

For more information please click here.

Government to ask for EU for citizens’ rights assurance

In the case of a no-deal Brexit, the Government will ask for assurance from the EU regarding citizens’ rights to protect British citizens in the EU and EU citizens in the UK.  There are currently around 1.3 million UK citizens living in 27 EU member states and 3.2 million EU nationals in the UK.  MPs supported an amendment to the Prime Minister’s Brexit deal in February, which the Government accepted without a vote, but the EU has rejected the plan with the EU’s chief negotiator saying it would be “far from straightforward” to “carve out” citizens’ rights from the rest of the withdrawal agreement.

For more information please click here.

Labour considers second referendum

As talks continue to break the deadlock in Parliament over Brexit, Labour is discussing whether a second public vote should be included as part of its European election manifesto. Labour’s National Executive Committee is currently split, with some members, including deputy leader Tom Watson, wanting any agreement to a Brexit deal with the Conservatives conditional on it being put to a public vote but others, say they should “try to deliver on what people voted for” as per Labour’s policy.

For more information please click here.

Foreign Secretary warns against customs union with EU

No agreement has yet been reached in relation to a Brexit deal, with Labour insisting that they will not agree without the inclusion of a customs union with the EU.  Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, has warned the PM against agreeing a deal which involves a customs union with the EU, which opponents feel stops the UK from setting its own trade policy and goes against Brexit.  As cross-party talks continue, Jeremy Hunt said he “definitely” thought the Government could secure a deal that MPs would back.

For more information please click here.

We have created a Brexit checklist to assist businesses with the various challenges and opportunities presented by Brexit. Please click here to view.

If you have any questions about any of the issues which are raised, or would like to discuss your own organisation’s options in the lead-up to Brexit, 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.

This page may contain links that direct you to third party websites. We have no control over and are not responsible for the content, use by you or availability of those third party websites, for any products or services you buy through those sites or for the treatment of any personal information you provide to the third party.

Follow us on LinkedIn

Keep up to date with all the latest updates and insights from our expert team

Take me there

What we're thinking