Brexit

Introduction

The Brexit transition period ended at 11 pm on 31 December 2020. At this time (referred to in UK law as ‘IP completion day’), transitional arrangements ended and significant changes began to take effect across the UK’s legal regime. This overview was prepared in the lead up to Brexit and is maintained for historical reference purposes. Much of the content linked within this overview has since been archived however key content that remains of interest to commercial practitioners includes:

1. •

   Brexit toolkit

2. •

   Brexit timeline

3. •

   Brexit—introduction to the Withdrawal Agreement

4. •

   Retained EU law and assimilated law

5. •

   Retained EU law—flowchart [Archived]

Brexit—key steps and timeline

On 31 January 2020 (Exit Day), the UK ceased to be an EU Member State and entered an implementation period, during which it continued to be subject to EU law. Transitional provisions in the UK legislation implementing the Withdrawal Agreement, namely the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020 (EU(WA)A 2020) amended the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (EU(W)A 2018) so that EU law continued to take effect in accordance with the Withdrawal Agreement during that time. For further