Back in November 2020, the UK government published the Freeports Bidding Prospectus, formally opening the bidding process to establish what it hopes will be at least seven new Freeports across England. You can read our analysis of the tax reliefs contained in the Prospectus, here: Freeports in England: The Tax Offering. As part of the … Continue Reading
Brexit threatens to have a significant impact on all UK businesses when they are importing and exporting goods and services from suppliers in the EU, as well as EU businesses when they are exporting goods and services to the UK. As such, all businesses (particularly manufacturers and retailers) need to consider the impact of Brexit … Continue Reading
The UK will leave the EU VAT area at the end of the Transition period on 31 December 2020. From 1 January 2021, there will be fundamental changes to the VAT treatment of goods arriving into Great Britain. The changes are intended to ensure that goods imported from EU and non-EU countries are all treated in … Continue Reading
Having formally left the EU on 31 January, we are now into the home straight of the next lap of the Brexit process: defining the new relationship with the EU. Things are getting heated. Both sides are accusing the other of bad faith, and the UK Government is threatening to pass controversial legislation which would … Continue Reading
In the last week of February – amid some chest-beating ferocity on both sides – the EU and UK published their respective negotiating mandates for the negotiations on the future relationship between the UK and the EU, which duly started at the beginning of March. On the day those talks started, the UK published its … Continue Reading
Brexit is scheduled to become effective at the end of 29 March 2019 and will take place either with a Withdrawal Agreement or without one having been entered into between the UK and the EU-27. At this point in time it is possible that the Article 50 TEU notice is withdrawn by the UK Government. … Continue Reading
Faisal Islam, Political Editor at Sky News, today reported that the Trade Secretary Liam Fox is visiting Korea, a key trade partner of the UK. I noticed that Islam tweeted what has long been suspected regarding the possible rollover of the EU-Korea FTA, namely that “the EU has not and will not write key letter … Continue Reading
On 28 February the EU27 produced a draft Withdrawal Agreement about which many have already written. Notably the UK had not previously produced its own draft (lawyers generally like to produce first drafts of documents as it gives control of the negotiation to them). To those of us unfortunate enough to live and breathe Brexit on … Continue Reading
More than a year has passed since the UK voted to withdraw from the European Union without much clarity ever given to businesses on what the terms of the intra-EU trade with the remaining EU27 would look like post-March 2019. This has led to many of our clients planning for the worst possible option, i.e. … Continue Reading
Last week, partners from a number of our practice groups hosted a webinar to members of the British Plastics Federation on how Brexit will affect the Plastics Industry. Paul Anderson, Aline Doussin, Carl Rohsler and Supinder Sian reviewed the impacts on trade, immigration, financial services & contracts and intellectual property. Click here to see the … Continue Reading
We recently presented to the Association of Corporate Counsel (‘ACC’), Washington DC about: the timing and procedure of the withdrawal, and the negotiation of the future relationship between the UK and the EU; the consequences for UK and US companies arising from the end of the application of EU Freedoms, Mutual Recognition, Passports and other … Continue Reading
So after all the shouting, the half-truths and the speculation, there is a vote to leave. What does this mean for your business? What will your Board need to know today? Although no one knows today all the details of what will happen next, in our ‘Brexit – What Next?‘ piece we have looked at some … Continue Reading