In a historic decision issued 24 September 2019, the UK Supreme Court ruled that the UK prime minister, Boris Johnson, acted unlawfully when he advised the Queen to prorogue, or suspend, the UK Parliament for five weeks, until 14 October 2019. The effect of the very clear and unanimous decision of the 11 Supreme Court
Gillian Sproul
Brexit: Political Impasse After UK Parliament Votes to Block October 31 No-Deal Departure From EU
By Gillian Sproul on
Our last GT Alert on Brexit quoted the saying, “a week is a long time in politics”. New Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson has found that a mere 72 hours is an eternity as he seeks to break the political impasse on the terms of the UK’s exit from the European Union – so far,…
Brexit: Can the Remainers Stop a No-Deal Brexit?
By Gillian Sproul on
Brexit has driven fault lines through British politics as seen at no time since the 1680s. Fervent ‘leavers’ and fervent ‘remainers’ can be found in both of the main political parties, although most favour various compromise options in between.
This is reflected in the composition of the UK Parliament and has resulted in an impasse,…
Brexit Update: Impact of New UK Prime Minister
By Gillian Sproul on
The UK’s new prime minister, Boris Johnson, will take office on 24 July 2019, just over three months before the UK is due to leave the EU, on 31 October 2019.
When the UK voted to leave the EU in June 2016, few predicted that Brexit would not yet be achieved over three years later.…
Nike Fined €12.5 Million for Restricting Intra-EEA Sales
By Gillian Sproul & Addiped Cheng on
Posted in Antitrust
In a warning shot to businesses using intellectual property rights to restrict cross-border sales within the European Economic Area (EEA), on 25 March 2019 the European Commission fined Nike €12.5 million for banning traders of licenced football merchandise from selling to other EEA countries. The decision underscores the Commission’s commitment to eliminating commercial practices that…
Brexit Brinkmanship
By Gillian Sproul on
Posted in Brexit
It is now less than two months until 29 March 2019, the date set for the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. At this late stage, the terms of the UK’s withdrawal have still not been settled, and the Brexit issue remains clouded in uncertainty.
As a result of a vote in the UK Parliament 29…