Brexit Brief 78

Issue 78 of the IIEA Brexit Brief collates the latest news from Ireland, the UK and the EU institutions, with particular emphasis on the political dynamics in the UK since the December 2019 General Election.

The Conservative Party’s resounding election victory has now provided Boris Johnson with the majority he needed to take the UK out of the EU on 31 January 2020. His Government quickly introduced a revised European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill 2019, which notably includes a provision to legally prohibit an extension to the 11-month transitional period. If the Bill were to pass, it would leave the UK and EU with a perilously short timeframe in which to negotiate a complex set of new arrangements on trade, security, defence and many other matters. The move has led European Commission President von der Leyen to caution that ruling out an extension could lead to a further ‘cliff edge’ scenario in December 2020.

Brexit Brief 78, published by the IIEA’s UK Project Group, is published on a fortnightly basis and covers developments in the on-going debate over the UK’s vote to Leave the European Union.