Brexit and “Law’s Expanding Empire”
On 26th September 2026, The Times published an article by columnist, Fraser Nelson, entitled “Burnham must take on Starmer’s empire of law” with the strapline: “It’s no good the PM pledging to end small boats or get building, if every decision is mired in years of legal wrangling.”.
The article quoted Lord Sumption, a retired UK Supreme Court judge, as describing current administrative procedures in the UK as being subject to “law’s expanding empire” , which was said by the article to refer to “ A world of regulations, legal challenges and paperwork which allows lawyers to occupy space where politics once was. The result: lawsuits, judicial reviews and sclerosis.”.
This is one point of view. The other is “human rights”, which for those who suffer from a lack of them are rather important!
For those who thought that Brexit might end or at least significantly reduce bureaucracy, they might feel that this simply has not happened. On the other hand, they might argue that “taking back control” is about much more than dealing with bureaucracy.
There must be a happy compromise and let us see what happens!
Brexit and Hungary
Hungary is a country that has seen considerable political change in recent times, with the replacement in May 2026 of Viktor Orban and his government by a more pro-EU government headed by Peter Magyar.
It would be timely , therefore, to examine the UK’s trade and investment relationship with Hungary , as the UK itself seeks to align itself a little more closely with the EU, at least in trade and investment terms.
On 24th September 2026, the UK Government’s Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade ( “DBIST”) released one of its regular factsheets on UK-Hungary trade and investment.
According to the DBIST factsheet, total trade in goods and services ( exports plus imports) between the two countries was £9.3 billion in the four quarters to the end of Q1 ( Quarter 1) 2026, an increase of 7.0% or £609 million in current prices from the four quarters to the end of Q! 2025. Of this £9.3 billion:
- Total UK exports to Hungary amounted to £3.8 billion in the four quarters to the end of Q!2026 ( an increase of 8.1% or £287 million in current prices , compared to the four quarters to the end of Q1 2025);and
- Total UK imports from Hungary amounted to £5.5 billion in the four quarters to the end of Q1 2026 ( an increase of 6.2 % or £322 million in current prices, compared to the four quarters to the end of Q1 2025).
The factsheet showed that Hungary was the UK’s 34th largest trading partner in the four quarters to the end of Q1 2026, accounting for 0.5% of total UK trade.
According to the factsheet, at the end of 2024, the stock of FDI ( “Foreign Direct Investment”) from the UK in Hungary was £1.6 billion, 8.7% or £124 million higher than at the end of 2023, and that, at the end of 2024, Hungary accounted for 0.1% of the total UK outward FDI stock.
The factsheet also showed that , at the end of 2024, the stock of FDI from Hungary in the UK was £628 million, 21.0% or £187 million lower than at the end of 2023, and that, at the end of 2024, Hungary accounted for less than 0.1% of the total UK inward FDI stock.
On the whole and apart from the decrease of FDI from Hungary into the UK, this is a positive set of results and hopefully there will be more such results to come!
Brexit and Giacomo Puccini
That great composer of operas, Giacomo Puccini ( 1858 – 1924) , lived for many years in Torre del Lago in Tuscany in a beautiful villa overlooking Lake Massaciuccoli.
He composed many of his famous operas there and represented by his lifestyle the Belle Epoque of late 19th century/ early 20th century Europe that our current Europe of division and war can only dream about – which is not to say that the Europe of Puccini’s time was without its problems – far from it!
On Sunday 11th October 2026 (as on other days), Puccini’s villa ( which is now a museum devoted to preserving Puccini’s artefacts , including his piano, and heritage very much as it was in his day) was open to the public and English, in many ways the language of international tourism, was frequently to be heard amongst those visiting the villa that day.
One felt bound to wonder what connections this very Italian and European person , who was born next door in Lucca and died in Brussels, might have had with those somewhat distant northern islands constituting the UK, where his operas very much have their loyal following to this day.
Well, quite a lot actually!
Puccini visited the UK a number of times, both to attend and collaborate on premieres of his works and to build a number of important personal and artistic relationships.
It is said that , whilst visiting London in June 1900, Puccini saw David Belasco’s play , Madame Butterfly, at the Duke of York’s Theatre, which inspired him to compose his famous opera based on the theme of that play.
Puccini clearly saw the UK as part of the European tradition of culture, which mattered greatly to him.
Happily, Brexit or not, the UK continues to celebrate its European cultural patrimony through the performance of Puccini’s operas and in many other ways.
Brexit and “ The People’s Emergency Briefing”
“ The People’s Emergency Briefing” is a pretty unique documentary film that is being shown in local cinemas and community facilities around the UK.
It brings together many experts and indeed individuals from all walks of life who are very concerned by the implications of climate change and it is packed with facts and figures for those people who want to take positive steps to deal with the effects of climate change in their local communities.
On 14th October 2026, the film was shown at the Phoenix cinema in East Finchley, North London, to a receptive audience. At that stage, there had already been some 3500 showings of the film around the country.
This is an example of community endeavour devoid of larger arguments about what could have been done at national and international level, particularly in this context if there had been no Brexit.
Localism and communitarianism may have more important roles to play as climate challenges continue to grow.
Brexit and the UK-EU Competition Co-operation Agreement
On 19th October 2026, the EU effectively ratified the UK-EU Competition Co-operation Agreement (“ the Agreement”).
It is understood that the Agreement, when in force, would provide a framework for co-operation and co-ordination in competition matters between the EU Commission and the EU member state national competition authorities on the one hand and the UK Competition and Markets Authority (“CMA”) on the other. It would not apply to enforcement activities under the EU Digital Markets Act or UK digital markets regime, or to state aid and subsidy control rules.
Under the Agreement, the UK and the EU would notify each other of competition law investigations that were likely to affect the interests of the other party, and their competition authorities could agree to co-ordinate efforts between them, as appropriate. The Agreement would enable the sharing of information , with the consent of parties that provided the information being necessary before doing so. It included a duty on the competition authorities to protect the confidentiality of shared information and restrictions on the use that could be made of shared information.
The Agreement was due to enter into force on the first day of the second month following the month during which the last of the EU and the UK finalised their ratification procedures and the date of entry into force would be announced in the Official Journal of the EU.
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.
