This post was first published on our Competition Notes blog. On 31 January 2020, at 11pm GMT, the UK ceased to be a Member State of the EU and the transition period provided for in Article 126 of the Withdrawal Agreement started to run. This briefing looks at the provisions in the Withdrawal Agreement that … Read more

On 10 September 2019 the UK Government published the text of a second Competition Brexit SI, the Competition (Amendment etc.)(EU Exit)(No2) Regulations 2019 (the new Regulations) which make a number of changes to the  original Competition (Amendment etc.)(EU Exit) Regulation 2019 (the principal Regulations).  The principal Regulations are discussed in an earlier blog post here. … Read more

Today our updated Brexit Legal Guide was released. Below is a message from our Chair and Senior Partner James Palmer which accompanied the updated guide. Dear clients and professional colleagues, The outcome of the June 2016 UK referendum on EU membership ushered in a period of increasing political turmoil in the UK. When I wrote … Read more

In light of the recent Brexit developments in the UK a no-deal Brexit is increasingly looking like a possibility. This will have very significant implications for parties involved in M&A transactions. This is because, without a deal, the EU merger control regime will immediately cease to apply in the UK. Read more

Without an intervening event, the UK will withdraw from the EU at 11pm on 29 March 2019.   Otherwise much remains unknown. The negotiated withdrawal deal comprising a legally binding Withdrawal Agreement and non-binding Political Declaration is facing significant opposition in the UK and will not be submitted for parliamentary approval until next week. Without a … Read more

Paul Butcher and Tom Henderson have published an article in FERMA/AIRMIC’s joint Brexit Newsletter advising risk management professionals of some of the key matters that they will need to consider to prevent a Brexit-related “no deal” crisis. Given it remains uncertain whether the UK will enter a transitional arrangement with the EU lasting until end … Read more

On 30 October 2018 the Government published a draft SI amending current UK competition legislation where necessary in order to make the legislation suitable in a no-deal Brexit scenario. The Competition (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (The Regulations) provide for changes to the following legislation: The Competition Act 1998 and secondary legislation issued under … Read more

The Government has published further final and draft statutory instruments to make the changes to legislation required in the event of a hard Brexit, i.e. if the UK leaves on 29 March 2019 without a deal. Read more