The (on reflection) premature triggering of Article 50 without first taking stock of the impact for the nations and regions of the UK has had significant consequences.
With all the furore over the vote this week one could be forgiven for missing yesterdays publication of a letter from the Government to the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee.
On 21 January the Brexit Civil Society Alliance launched our new report, Seizing the Opportunity: the case for embracing civil society’s role in democracy. To mark the occasion we had a virtual launch event, hearing from expert speakers and opening up the discussion to attendees.
Our online discussion about the EU Settlement Scheme on Wednesday 27 May marked the halfway point in our #BrexitAnswers webinar series. We heard from Caitlin Boswell-Jones of the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, Danai Galaziou of the AIRE Centre, and Tamara Flanagan of the New Europeans, who shared their expertise about the process and answered our audience’s questions. Clearly a popular topic, our attendees came from a diverse range of organisations: from campaign groups specialising in the EUSS to those with no other experience of dealing with immigration issues.
The Brexit Civil Society Alliance have now had the first in our #BrexitAnswers series of online discussions, in which we bring the experts to you. We were joined by Clare Gray from the Shaw Trust, Susie Fitton from Inclusion Scotland, and John Horan, barrister at Cloisters chambers to discuss the impact of Brexit on Disability Rights, particularly in light of the Covid-19 crisis.
There have been lots of questions about whether the transition period now needs to be extended as the response to the coronavirus emergency takes up the capacity of both the UK and the EU. There are also questions about what the process for extending the transition period looks like and whether the UK will, in fact, be ready to exit the leave the transition period by the end of 2020 in light of the current emergency.
Coronavirus has changed the political landscape in a way that would have been unimaginable this time last year. But whilst the government grapples with one of the biggest challenges since the Second World War there are some political certainties that remain. One of the most significant is the completion of the details of our exit from the European Union.
“Exit day” has passed and the UK is no longer in the European Union. So far, other than moving onto the next stage in negotiations, not a lot seems to have changed. In our new report, below, the Brexit Civil Society Alliance explores what the immediate impact on your rights is now and what to expect after the transition period.
