Beyond Brexit

16 May '19

Davina Garrod Presents at the Financial Times “Brexit and Beyond Summit”

Akin Gump partner Davina Garrod presented at the Financial Times “Brexit and Beyond Summit” on Wednesday, May 15, at the Waldorf Hilton, London. Fellow speakers included Chief Secretary to the U.K. Treasury Liz Truss MP, Shadow Chancellor to the Exchequer John McDonnell MP, Former EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Baroness Catherine Ashton, Former EU Commissioner for Trade and Arcelor Mittal Board Member Karel De Gucht, Former Permanent Secretary to the Foreign & Commonwealth Office Sir Simon Fraser, former U.K. Foreign Secretary and Defence Secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind, Santander Chief Economist Frances Haque, President of FedEx Express Europe & TNT CEO Bert Nappier, and Managing Director of Merck U.K. & Ireland Liz Henderson.

07 Dec '18

Brexit – The Week Ahead (Week of December 10)

Monday, December 10 – Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruling on whether the United Kingdom can unilaterally revoke Article 50 (08:00 GMT); House of Commons debate on Brexit deal continues from around 15:30/16:30 GMT

Tuesday, December 11 – Meaningful Vote debate concludes followed by votes (votes should commence around 20:45 GMT)

Wednesday, December 12 – Prime Minister Questions (PMQs), followed by potential statement by Prime Minister on next steps

05 Dec '18

United Kingdom Can Unilaterally Revoke Article 50: Brexit Is Not A Done Deal

On December 4, 2018, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) Advocate General opined that the United Kingdom could still prevent Brexit from happening by unilaterally revoking its Article 50 notification, provided that such revocation is (1) formally notified to the European Council, (2) was decided in accordance with the UK’s constitutional requirements and (3) does not constitute an abusive practice. It is anticipated that the CJEU will confirm this view in a formal judgment before next Tuesday, when the U.K. House of Commons is expected to vote on the Withdrawal Agreement. This would raise the prospect of the U.K. Parliament voting to revoke its intention to leave the European Union, rather than be faced with a stark choice between Prime Minister May’s deal and leaving the European Union without a deal in place. Senior ministers say that it is the U.K. government, rather than the U.K. Parliament, that would have to decide to revoke Article 50. However, were a clear majority of Members of Parliament to support such a parliamentary motion, then presumably the government would have to reconsider. If so, then it is expected that another referendum will need to occur, which would in turn necessitate the EU27 agreeing to extend the two-year period beyond March 29 for at least a couple of months. While Prime Minister May is expected to lose the vote next Tuesday, many currently think that she should prevail on a second vote around January 21.

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25 Apr '17

Akin Gump Proud to Support ‘The BREXIT Divide’ Debate

(London) - Akin Gump is proud to have supported the ‘The BREXIT Divide’ debate which took place at BPP University Law School in London on Wednesday, April 19, 2017. Four of the leading Brexit voices in the UK came together to discuss where Brexit will lead the UK and whether there is common ground to be found for a united approach. Speakers included Ian Dunt, Iain Martin, Jolyon Maugham QC and Gisela Stuart MP. The panel was moderated by Professor Steve Peers. All proceeds are to go to the Billable Hour Appeal for Save the Children's work with child refugees.

09 Mar '17

The Future of Europe

In 1957, the six EU founding members–Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg—agreed to settle their conflicts around a table rather than on the battlefields. We are now days away from the 60th anniversary of the EC Treaty Rome. Like all anniversaries, the Rome Summit will be a natural time to reflect on the last 60 years at a time when BREXIT and the fear of a “domino effect” across Europe is driving change. The European Commission’s “White Paper on the Future of Europe” (“Paper”) was written to help the European Council decide on a course of action by year-end, with a view to implementing a plan to be rolled out in time for the European Parliament elections in June 2019. Whilst BREXIT is only indirectly referred to, references to “EU27” abound, alongside references to the refugee crisis, terrorism, the global financial crisis and “new global powers”. The EU may still be home to the world's largest single market, however “Europe's place in the world is shrinking.” This comes at a time when newer powers such as China, Brazil, India and Mexico, rise, and when the United States becomes more inward-looking. Other notable challenges include unemployment and friction over borders.

01 Feb '17

In Principle: 10 Things You Need to Know for 2017 – The World of Financial Regulation After the UK Referendum

On 23 June 2016, the UK shocked the world, and perhaps itself, when it voted in favour of a “Brexit” from the European Union. While the referendum result has brought significant uncertainty to the financial services sector, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has made it clear that, from a regulatory perspective, it is “business as usual”. Indeed, it is clear that firms cannot afford to stand still in the wake of the referendum result, since financial regulation has, as always, continued to evolve.

04 Jan '17

Brexit on Ice? Court Rules That Only UK Parliament Can Trigger Article 50

Executive Summary

Earlier today, the High Court of Justice ruled that the U.K. government does not have the constitutional capacity to trigger the U.K.'s withdrawal from the European Union without further primary legislation being passed. This decision is likely to delay, potentially significantly, the filing of the U.K.'s Article 50 notice with the European Council, further extending the uncertainty over the timing and the terms of the U.K.'s exit from the European Union (“EU”).