Brexit and Sweden
Sweden is quite a free spirit within the EU being outside the euro system but within the Schengen area. Sweden is also now a member of NATO.
Sweden and the UK enjoy a strong and positive political relationship and it would seem appropriate, therefore, to examine their trade and investment relations.
On 31st July 2026, the UK Department for Business , Innovation, Science & Trade ( “DBIST”) ( which replaced the Department for Business & Trade) published one of its regular factsheets on UK- Sweden trade and investment, which showed that total trade in goods and services (exports plus imports) between the two countries was £37.3 billion in the four quarters to the end of Q1 ( Quarter 1) 2026, an increase of 3.4% or £1.2 billion in current prices from the four quarters to the end of Q1 2025. Of this £37.3 billion:
- Total UK exports to Sweden amounted to £22.1 billion in the four quarters to the end of Q1 2026 ( an increase of 3.9% or £838 million in current prices, compared to the four quarters to the end of Q1 2025); and
- Total UK imports from Sweden amounted to £15.2 billion in the four quarters to the end of Q1 2026 ( an increase of 2.6% or £387 million in current prices, compared to the four quarters to the end of Q1 2025).
According to the DBIST factsheet, Sweden was the UK’s 12th largest trading partner in the four quarters to the end of Q1 2026 , accounting for 1.9% of total UK trade.
The factsheet also showed that , at the end of 2024,the stock of FDI ( foreign direct investment) from the UK in Sweden was £41.6 billion, 0.2% or £69 million lower than at the end of 2023, and accounted for 2.2% of the total UK outward FDI stock.
In addition, the factsheet showed that, at the end of 2024, the stock of FDI from Sweden in the UK was £17.5 billion , 60.6% or £6.6 billion higher than at the end of 2023, and accounted for 0.8% of the total UK inward FDI stock.
The bilateral UK- Sweden trade and investment statistics are on the whole encouraging and hopefully bode well for the future!
Brexit and the Paradox of Schrodinger’s Cat
The paradox of Schrodinger’s cat was the famous thought experiment in 1935 which sought to qualify ( if not debunk) traditional quantum mechanics theory by seeking to argue that a cat in a sealed box with a vial of poison hanging over it could not be both alive and dead at the same time, regardless of whether or not the cat could be seen from the outside. Traditional quantum mechanics appeared to believe in alternative realities which could exist at the same time. The jury is still out on this debate ! – but , even if it were in, it might still be out under traditional quantum mechanics theories ! A little confusing!
The Brexit process has been compared to Schrodinger’s cat because of the way it was negotiated and because of its outcome. The Irish border issue ( currently subsumed within the Windsor Framework) in particular was perhaps the ultimate paradox in the Brexit negotiations ( as now embedded in the Brexit outcomes) because, as has been observed , the border had simultaneously to exist ( to protect the EU single market) and not exist ( to protect the Good Friday Agreement).
It may be that the complexities of the UK’s ongoing relationship with the EU can be ameliorated by the appliance of scientific logic in due course or it may be that paradoxes will continue in uneasy co-existence or it may be that Churchill’s description of Russia in 1939 as “ a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma” can equally be applied to the Brexit effect ( or indeed to other political situations in 2026) and we shall all just have to work it out!
Hopefully, we shall survive, prosper and move on ( as one would hope was the case with Schrodinger’s cat) !
Brexit and Frida Kahlo
In the Summer of 2026, the Tate Modern Gallery in London began to host an exhibition on the life and work of Frida Kahlo, the famous Mexican artist who flourished in the first half of the 20th century . The exhibition was called “Frida Kahlo: The Making of an Icon” and was due to run until 3rd January 2027.
The exhibition overlapped with an exhibition on Tracey Emin – “Tracey Emin : A Second Life” – also at the Tate Modern and it was noteworthy to see the influence which Tracey Emin herself acknowledged that Frida Kahlo had had on her and her work. An influence which does not detract from Tracey Emin’s own original artistic contribution but enhances it .
Frida Kahlo was well in the vanguard of her time in the concerns that pre-occupied her including the issues of gender, race and the environment – issues which are so at the forefront now . No wonder that Frida Kahlo has achieved iconic status in the decades since her premature death at the age of 47 in 1954.
Once again London has seized the artistic and cultural moment in staging the exhibition on Frida Kahlo, an exhibition attended by many from mainland Europe as well as elsewhere and highlighting societal challenges in Mexico and the US as well as universal themes.
The exhibition contained paintings – of vivid colours and striking originality – not only by Frida Kahlo herself but also by her husband Diego Rivera and other contemporaries and also by painters of subsequent generations who were influenced by her distinctive vision of the world.
The decision to stage the exhibition was yet another signal to the world of London’s and the wider UK’s unique cultural offering, Brexit or no Brexit.
Brexit and An Exhibition on “ Tenderness and Rage”
London ( as well as a number of other European cities, such as Berlin) stands out as a centre of activism for LGBT rights and nothing illustrates this better than the iconic free exhibition entitled “Tenderness and Rage” which is being hosted at the Wellcome Collection in Euston until 30th May 2027.
According to the flyer, which reflects accurately the true tenor of this moving exhibition, “ Through photography, film and collections material , “Tenderness and Rage” explores HIV and AIDS through stories of protest and care, from the height of the UK’s AIDS epidemic in the 1980s and 1990s to global experiences of today.”.
The exhibition, created in conjunction with the artist Gideon Mendel, has at its heart two photographic series – “The Ward” documents the lives of patients on AIDS wards at the Middlesex Hospital, and “Through Positive Eyes” profiles perspectives from HIV activists worldwide.
The exhibition is small but beautifully curated and its location in central London is a fitting recognition of London’s importance as an international advocate for great causes.
Brexit and Authorised Corporate Service Providers
On 11th August 2026, the UK’s Companies House published Guidance on “Fit and proper criteria for Authorised Corporate Service Providers”, giving information about “How the registrar will assess whether an applicant, or existing Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP), is fit and proper to carry out the functions of an ACSP”.
The Guidance pointed out that “ Under section 1098B of the Companies Act 2006, the registrar must refuse an application to register an [ACSP] if the applicant is not fit and proper to carry out the functions of an ACSP. The registrar will also monitor existing ACSPs to make sure they continue to be fit and proper to carry out ACSP functions after registration.”.
The Guidance suggested that the registrar would consider the circumstances of each case on its own merits but would take into account ( amongst other things) the following criteria in assessing applications to register an ACSP, and also in considering the suspension or cessation of an ACSP:-
- Eligibility and competence to act as an ACSP;
- Criminal, regulatory and financial history;
- Honesty, integrity and conduct;
- History with Companies House and ACSP activity.
ACSPs are required to be appropriately supervised by a relevant AML ( anti-money laundering) body and the Guidance made clear that , whilst their respective roles are separate, the registrar might take into account the AML supervisors’ views , when the registrar was considering whether the person concerned was fit and proper to carry out the functions of an ACSP.
Time moves on for Companies House in the post-Brexit era!
Interesting times!
This blog is provided for general information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. You should not rely on any information contained in this blog as a substitute for obtaining advice from a qualified legal professional regarding your specific circumstances.
