header-logo header-logo

01 April 2022 / Jason McCue
Issue: 7973 / Categories: Features , Profession , Brexit
printer mail-detail

Brand GB—Little Britain v Great Britain?

77188
The UK should harness the full potential of its legal system to put the ‘great’ back in Great Britain, says Jason McCue

Brexit will test the case as to whether we are Little Britain or Great Britain on the international stage. Alone, without the comfort of the EU, exacerbated by the global pandemic, the overwhelming necessity for our cultural and financial survival lies in our continued ability to attract others with Brand GB: to pull foreign trade, business, and investment in and push the UK out. We are in for the fight of our lives; the economic battleground centres on us retaining influence, power, knowledge, and innovation outside the collective security of the EU.

Jewel in the crown

This should cause us to reflect on what is our ‘greatness’—our appeal—and then maximise how we positively best exploit it. We should consider such before blindly playing our hand—wildly throwing hope on star performers, new trade deals or selling the silverware. Our greatness is based on our history, culture, and institutions,

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Foot Anstey—Jasmine Olomolaiye

Foot Anstey—Jasmine Olomolaiye

Investigations and corporate crime expert joins as partner

Fieldfisher—Mark Shaw

Fieldfisher—Mark Shaw

Veteran funds specialist joins investment funds team

Taylor Wessing—Stephen Whitfield

Taylor Wessing—Stephen Whitfield

Firm enhances competition practice with London partner hire

NEWS
The Supreme Court has delivered a decisive ruling on termination under the JCT Design & Build form. Writing in NLJ this week, Andrew Singer KC and Jonathan Ward, of Kings Chambers, analyse Providence Building Services v Hexagon Housing Association [2026] UKSC 1, which restores the first-instance decision and curbs contractors’ termination rights for repeated late payment
Secondments, disciplinary procedures and appeal chaos all feature in a quartet of recent rulings. Writing in NLJ this week, Ian Smith, barrister and emeritus professor of employment law at UEA, examines how established principles are being tested in modern disputes
The AI revolution is no longer a distant murmur—it’s at the client’s desk. Writing in NLJ this week, Peter Ambrose, CEO of The Partnership and Legalito, warns that the ‘AI chickens’ have ‘come home to roost’, transforming not just legal practice but the lawyer–client relationship itself
A High Court ruling involving the Longleat estate has exposed the fault line between modern family building and historic trust drafting. Writing in NLJ this week, Charlotte Coyle, director and family law expert at Freeths, examines Cator v Thynn [2026] EWHC 209 (Ch), where trustees sought approval to modernise trusts that retain pre-1970 definitions of ‘child’, ‘grandchild’ and ‘issue’
Fresh proposals to criminalise ‘nudification’ apps, prioritise cyberflashing and non-consensual intimate images, and even ban under-16s from social media have reignited debate over whether the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA 2023) is fit for purpose. Writing in NLJ this week, Alexander Brown, head of technology, media and telecommunications, and Alexandra Webster, managing associate, Simmons & Simmons, caution against reactive law-making that could undermine the Act’s ‘risk-based and outcomes-focused’ design
back-to-top-scroll