Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Related legal acts

Key definition

Brexit definition

What does Brexit mean? Brexit is the practical shorthand in legal drafting and advice for the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union and the legal, regulatory and trading changes flowing from it. It covers the UK’s cessation of EU membership on exit day (31 January 2020) and the cessation of the EEA Agreement’s application, the end of the implementation/transition period on IP completion day (31 December 2020), and the commencement, expiry or variation of post‑withdrawal trading and regulatory arrangements, including the UK‑EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement, the Windsor Framework (amending the Northern Ireland Protocol), and UK agreements with third countries...

UK Brexit legal framework: EU (Withdrawal) Acts 2018/2020, REUL(RR)A 2023, EU(FR)A 2020, retained/assimilated EU law, Windsor Framework and TCA implementation

Published by a LexisNexis Public Law expert

Practice notes

Background—EU law in the UK Pre-Exit day

The European Communities Act 1972 (ECA 1972) was enacted to implement the United Kingdom’s obligations, as a Member State, under the relevant EU treaties and to ensure adherence to EU law. Under ECA 1972, s 2(1), certain EU rights and obligations intended to have direct effect applied in the UK without the need for additional domestic legislation. This encompassed rights under the EU Treaties and EU regulations setting out detailed legal Rules. Other forms of EU law took effect via UK regulations made under ECA 1972, s 2(2), or, in some circumstances, through separate Acts of Parliament. This pathway covered EU directives, which stipulate overarching aims or frameworks while leaving each Member State to make its own provision to secure the required legal outcome. In its operation within Member States, EU law is ‘supreme’. Consequently, where EU law conflicted with a Member State’s domestic legislation, the latter had to be disapplied—a principle that constituted the only circumstance in which a UK court could disapply an Act of Parliament...

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Dr. Kieran Laird

Gowling WLG

Kieran is an ex-academic with a particular interest in areas where law and politics intersect. He is a partner in Gowling WLG's Public Law & Regulation team and Head of Constitutional Affairs for the firm's Brexit Unit.Kieran provides advice on the applicability of, and developments in, the statutory and regulatory frameworks governing a number of regulated sectors including energy, qualifications, transport, health, communications, and political lobbying. Kieran advises a range of clients including sector regulators, consumer councils, government departments, other public bodies, major corporates, and small and medium sized enterprises with regard to their respective regulated industries, equalities and human rights duties, EU law and other public law matters....

Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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