Good morning,

This week we look into whether the UK Government is going to be ready for the end of the transition period especially under the current circumstances. We explore what might be coming down the line for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and how we can prepare for it. Brexit Answers, our Q&A discussion series on Brexit policy and its impacts on civil society is live.

Enjoy,
Jacob

In Politics

Is the UK ready for December 2020?

We explores it the UK is ready to leave the transition period at the end of December 2020
Coronavirus absorbs most of government capacity leading to questions over ability to prepare
Legislation, governance bodies, and common frameworks yet to be ready

For the past few weeks there have been rising calls from various stakeholders that due to the Coronavirus absorbing all the Government’s capacity the UK should request an extension to the transition. Negotiating the future relationship between the UK and the EU was always going to be a considerable task but in the current crisis, it may be too much.

As we looked at last week, there are a number of crucial Brexit Bills that have yet to progress further through Parliament. Many of these bills, such as the Environment Bill and Immigration Bill, will establish new governance bodies or regimes that will require time to get up and running. For example, the Office for Environmental Protection will need to be ready to go by the end of this year.

Malene Bratlie, co-ordinator of the BCSA, looks into more detail at whether the UK will be ready for exit by the 31st December 2020. As she outlines, there is a range of issues the UK Government needs to sort before the end of this year.

On Brexit bills, there will need to be adequate time given for proper scrutiny by MPs, Lords, and civil society. A rushed set of legislation will lead to poor quality lawmaking. On this David Allen Green has a concrete example of how rushing through COVID-19 delegated legislation has led to issues. For example, when people can leave the house during lockdown to go to work ‘only traveling to work is given as a reasonable excuse, not actually being there once you have arrived’. This is clearly problematic and he explains further in detail in a thread here and in his full blog here.

On preparedness, Malene raises a key question ‘can the Government reasonably expect, in these difficult and uncertain times, that business, civil society organisations, and individuals will be ready to exit the transition period, and have adapted to a new trading regime and other complex changes by 1st January 2021?’. New immigration, trade, and environmental regimes are difficult enough to prepare for in normal times. Coronavirus has created an unprecedentedly difficult time to do these preparations.

Finally, there are key frameworks to be agreed between the UK Government and devolved Governments in policy areas such as justice, environment, health, and fisheries. This again is a matter of capacity and time. All of which need to be in place by the end of 2020.

This week, while in front of the Future Relationship Select Committee which you can watch here, Michael Gove stated that it was ‘entirely possible’ to complete negotiations on time without an extension to the transition period. Which signals that the UK think they can achieve the negotiations and all of the above before December 31st 2020, in the midst of unprecedented health and economic crisis.

Simon Usherwood from the University of Surrey has a useful matrix showing the possible options ahead of the UK Government and the trade-offs of the choices here. This includes what legal powers the EU will have in different circumstances and what arrangements will need to be in place such as the Irish Protocol.

On the Irish Protocol. Tony Connelly of RTE reported that the ‘EU believes IT systems and databases for customs checks and controls need to be in place in Northern Ireland by June 1 in order for the Irish Protocol to be properly implemented’. This further emphasises the difficulties facing the UK Government on implementing what is needed before the UK leaves the transition period. Time is running out and capacity to handle Brexit is currently, understandably, limited.

In Policy

What is happening with the UK Shared Prosperity Fund?

Jane Thomas explores what is next for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund
Equally Ours have shared principles for civil society and the UKSPF
Brexit Answers: The Future of Funding - The UK Shared Prosperity online Q&A

The Government is rightly focused on the immediate funding needs of tackling the Coronavirus emergency. However, once we are through this difficult time there will be a new landscape which needs a proper funding system. As Jane Thomas says, in her latest blog on the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, ‘There will be life after Coronavirus but it will be different’.

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) is the long-promised replacement for EU funding that many civil society organisations currently receive. We are still waiting on the UK Government for many details about what the UKSPF will look like.

The Conservative Government under Theresa May promised a consultation, but this has yet to happen. As Jane outlines, the UKSPF is of huge importance to civil society across the UK who face uncertainty over the future of their funding. The consultation matters because the design of the UKSPF will affect who it helps, the democratic nature of it, and the outcomes it aims to achieve. It is therefore vital civil society has the opportunity to feed into a consultation on the design of the UKSPF. Equally Ours have worked with organisations across the country to develop a set of shared principles for what the UKSPF should look like. As they say, the fund is an opportunity for improving the UK’s ability to deliver on equality and human rights. You can find, and sign up to their shared principles here.

As the end of the transition period on 31st December 2020 edges ever closer, the urgency for the establishment of the UKSPF grows. To help combat some of the uncertainty felt across the sector we are hosting a free Q&A discussion session with Belinda Pratten from Equally Ours, and Phil Fiander from the Wales Council for Voluntary Action on Thursday 14th May 10:00 to 11:30. Tickets and further details are available here.

In Events

Brexit Answers

Our series of Q&A discussions covering key topics of Brexit policy and their impacts on civil society.

Disability Rights and Brexit on Tuesday 12th May 10:00 to 11:30. Join the Shaw Trust and Inclusion Scotland to discover the impact of Brexit on disabled people’s rights. Find more information and free tickets here.

Replacement of EU Funding - The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is on Thursday 14th May 2020 10:00 to 11:30. Join Equally Ours and Wales Council for Voluntary Action to discover the future of funding and the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Find more information and free tickets here.

Find the full programme of events on our website here and free tickets for all of the sessions here.

Recommended Reading

COVID-19 hurts the vulnerable the most. So does Brexit. By Eve Hepburn from PolicyScribe here at LSE
Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit have published a useful briefing on the impact of COVID-19 on the ability of children in care and care leavers to access the EU Settlement Scheme. Their website is here and you can download the briefing here
Figures obtained by the Children’s Society show just one in 10 children who are either in the British care system or who have recently left have been awarded settled status through the EU settlement scheme, read the full briefing here. The Children’s Society has also published a guide for local authorities on how they can support the whole council to make progress in identifying this cohort and supporting them through the scheme.
The London Funder’s London Community Response is still open. Organisations can apply for grants here
Friends of the Earth’s Co-CEO’s have written an open letter to Secretary of State, Liz Truss, asking the Government to cease rushing to negotiate a US trade deal. Sign and share the open letter here.