Brexit and Charles De Gaulle
A French film – “ De Gaulle : Resistance” – about General De Gaulle, based in London, as leader of the Free French during the Second World War, has been released in the UK and on Saturday 29th August 2026 was shown at the Vue cinema in North London.
It is a tale of two Simons – with Simon Abkarian playing De Gaulle and Simon Russell Beale playing Winston Churchill. The cinematography was excellent , the acting very professional and the history of real events vividly portrayed.
The tensions both within wartime France and its Empire ( as well as between the Free French and the UK and between both of them and the US) came though very well and one could be forgiven for coming out of the film feeling that Brexit was a pinprick compared with the tensions arising during the course of war.
The two Simons brought out only too well the stubborn single- mindedness of the two principal characters and made one think at times that with friends like these, enemies were in a way easier to deal with.
For all the stresses and strains, however, there is clearly a strong bond of friendship between the French and the British, which the film does demonstrate well, and though we know De Gaulle as the French President who famously vetoed British membership of the European Community in the 1960s, it is clear from the film that De Gaulle took France’s relationship with the British very seriously.
There is a second film in the series – “ De Gaulle : Liberty “ – and , if it is like the first film , it is well worth seeing.
The French and the British are divided by the Channel but united by a determination to protect their sovereignties and freedoms .
Brexit and Austria
Austria can be said to lie geographically at the crossroads of Western, Central and Eastern Europe and to be located very much at the spriritual heart of the EU.
A land- locked country, it shares borders with eight European countries – Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Italy, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
Austria is a member of the EU and it would be interesting to look at the state of UK-Austria trade and investment, given Austria’s position within Europe.
According to the DBT ( the Department for Business and Trade, now merged into the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) factsheet dated 31st July 2026, total trade in goods and services ( exports plus imports) between the two countries was £10.2 billion in the four quarters to the end of Q1 ( Quarter 1) 2026, an increase of 6.0% or £580 million in current prices from the four quarters to the end of Q1 2025.Of this £10.2 billion :
- Total UK exports to Austria amounted to £4.2 billion in the four quarters to the end of Q1 2026 ( an increase of 3.3% or £134 million in current prices, compared to the four quarters to the end of Q1 2025);and
- Total UK imports from Austria amounted to £6.1 billion in the four quarters to the end of Q1 2026 ( an increase of 8.0% or £446 million in current prices, compared to the four quarters to the end of Q1 2025).
The factsheet showed that Austria was the UK’s 32nd largest trading partner in the four quarters to the end of Q1 2026 , accounting for 0.5% of total UK trade.
The DBT factsheet also revealed that, at the end of 2024, the stock of FDI ( Foreign Direct Investment) from the UK in Austria was £2.8 billion, 12.7% or £319 million higher than at the end of 2023 and that, at the end of 2024, Austria accounted for 0.2% of the total UK outward FDI stock .
In addition, the DBT factsheet revealed that, at the end of 2024, the stock of FDI from Austria in the UK was £5.2 billion, 4.7% or £233 million higher than at the end of 2023 and that, at the end of 2024, Austria accounted for 0.2% of the total UK inward FDI stock.
Austria is an important trading and investment partner of the UK and the figures quoted above seem to bear that out.
Brexit and the Bayeux Tapestry
Some 960 years after the Norman conquest of England in 1066, the Bayeux Tapestry went on display at the British Museum on 10th September 2026 for some 10 months by way of a loan arrangement from France to the UK.
The exhibition was previewed by the King and Queen with President and Madame Macron of France on 2nd September 2026 and the King , in his speech addressing his French guests, was reported as saying: “ May this Tapestry – and the treasures that will travel in return – stand as symbols not only of our shared past , but our shared future: a future woven , as it should be, by Britain and France together.”.
On 3rd September 2026, The Times published an editorial full of praise for the exhibition under the heading “A Stitch in Time”, with the strapline: “A loan of the Bayeux Tapestry is a supreme example of cultural diplomacy.”
Let us see what dividend of goodwill the ancient Tapestry brings!
Brexit and the CPTPP ( Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership)
On 1st September 2026, the UK Government issued a press release, entitled “UK secures full access to £13 trillion CPTPP trading bloc”, with the strapline: “As of Tuesday 1 September [2026], UK businesses now have full access to the £13 trillion CPTPP trading bloc. “. This followed the ratification by Canada of the UK’s accession to the CPTPP, being the final country in the bloc to do so.
The press release made the following bullet points:-
- “UK businesses now have complete access to the CPTPP trading bloc, with economies worth almost £13 trillion in combined GDP with the UK included”;
- “From food and drink exporters to service providers, UK businesses can now take advantage of the full benefits of CPTPP membership”; and
- “New opportunities with Canada include enhanced business mobility and greater access to public procurement”.
According to the press release, “The [CPTPP] is expected to deliver around £2 billion a year to the UK economy in the long run”.
UK Minister of Trade, Anwar Sarwar, was quoted in the press release as commenting:” UK businesses in Canada will benefit from easier travel arrangements under CPTPP, with eligible business visitors now able to stay for up to six months, compared with the previous limit of 90 days in any six-month period.”.
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.
