Brexit

The Scottish government has called on MSPs to reject legislative consent for the United Kingdom Internal Market Bill, which it says will erode the powers of the Scottish Parliament. A legislative consent memorandum (LCM) lodged with Holyrood by Scotland's Constitutional Relations Secretary Michael R

Government ministers have approved plans to legislate for the recognition of UK divorces after expiry of the Brexit transition period. Justice Minister Helen McEntee said: "I am conscious that in the absence of an agreement to the contrary, EU law will no longer apply to legal proceedings involving

Lord Keen of Elie QC has been praised for his honourable resignation this week by senior legal figures who have predicted that the UK government will have "difficulty" in replacing him. Lord Keen left his post after a debacle that arose over a government bill. His erstwhile colleagues now

The Advocate General for Scotland, Lord Keen of Elie QC, has resigned following the UK government’s U-turn on the Northern Ireland part of the Brexit deal. The controversial UK Internal Market Bill allows ministers to “disapply” rules agreed over the goods that cross between Britai

Former Attorney General Geoffrey Cox QC has threatened to rebel in a crucial government vote after calling it "unconscionable" for the UK to break its treaty commitment to the EU. Last week, Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis told MPs that provisions in the Internal Market Bill would "break in

Professor Conor Gearty explores the background to the UK government's threat to depart from its long-standing advocacy of ‘the rule of law’ in international affairs. The European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020 declared itself a measure ‘to implement, and make other provision

Paul McGarry SC explores the opportunities for Irish lawyers following the UK's exit from the EU. The sabre-rattling by the UK government over the Northern Ireland Protocol has again brought the debate about the future arrangements between the EU and the UK into sharp focus. But no matter what happe

European law firm GSK Stockmann has become a new sponsor of the DCU Brexit Institute. The DCU Brexit Institute has increasingly pivoted towards work on European affairs in recent years, including by leading major projects on the future of Europe funded by the European Commission and the German Minis

The Bar of Northern Ireland has reaffirmed its commitment to the maintenance of the rule of law in a short statement issued in the wake of the UK government's U-turn on Brexit. Earlier this week, Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis told MPs that provisions in the Internal Market Bill would "bre

James Meighan from Eugene F Collins discusses the Withdrawal Agreement and the effect on cross-border litigation. On 27 August 2020, the European Commission published a notice to stakeholders on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union and rules in the area of civil justice and p

The Lord Chief Justice, Sir Declan Morgan, has warned that the UK government's declared plan to break international law may undermine trust in the government and the administration of justice. Northern Ireland's top judge was sharply critical of government ministers in an interview due to be br

Human rights campaigners have warned the UK government not to use the Northern Ireland peace process as a "bargaining chip" in the latest round of Brexit negotiations. The intervention comes after Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis told MPs yesterday that provisions in the Internal Market Bill

One of the UK government's most senior lawyers has become the latest in a line of civil servants to quit, seemingly over the government's U-turn on the Northern Ireland part of the Brexit deal. Sir Jonathan Jones QC has led the Government Legal Department (GLD) since 2014 (when it was known as TSol)

Professor Steve Peers of the University of Essex discusses the 'Dublin system' for asylum applications between EU states and the legal issues of the Channel crossings. One key feature of the debate on Channel crossings is the impact of the EU’s ‘Dublin system’, allocating responsib

The slow progress of UK-EU talks poses a "real threat" to the Northern Ireland peace process, Justice Minister Helen McEntee has said in her first discussion with her northern counterpart. Ms McEntee spoke with Justice Minister Naomi Long by phone yesterday in their first direct conversation since t