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14 January 2021 / Michael Zander KC
Issue: 7916 / Categories: Features , Brexit , Constitutional law
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Brexit got done (Pt 2)

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Michael Zander on whether there was parliamentary scrutiny worthy of the name

Credit where credit is due. Boris Johnson pulled it off. Many, including this writer, doubted whether a trade deal with the EU could be achieved in a year. I felt all along that we would crash-out without a deal and share the general relief that in this respect we underestimated him.

But Parliament was given only one day to consider the European Union (Future Relationship) Bill—80 pages, 40 sections, 6 schedules—giving effect to the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA)—1,246 pages consisting of 410 pages of text and 836 pages of annexes and protocols. Less than five hours in the Commons; something over eight hours in the Lords. No Committee stage in either House. Not a single amendment to the Bill could be moved in either House. Speeches in the Commons limited to four and then three minutes. Speeches in the Lords limited to three minutes. And the Bill was only published the day before it was

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NEWS
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NLJ this week: CPR tweak closes third-party disclosure gap
A seemingly dry procedural update may prove potent. In his latest 'Civil way' column for NLJ this week, Stephen Gold explains that new CPR 31.12A—part of the 193rd update—fills a ‘lacuna’ exposed in McLaren Indy v Alpa Racing
NLJ this week: Court of Appeals wrestles with Mazur fallout
The long-running Mazur saga edged towards its finale as the Court of Appeal heard arguments on whether non-solicitors can ‘conduct litigation’. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School reports from a packed courtroom where 16 wigs watched Nick Bacon KC argue that Mr Justice Sheldon had failed to distinguish between ‘tasks and responsibilities’
NLJ this week: Appeal court reins in ‘wrong defendant’ switcheroo

The Court of Appeal has slammed the brakes on claimants trying to swap defendants after limitation has expired. In Adcamp LLP v Office Properties and BDB Pitmans v Lee [2026] EWCA Civ 50, it overturned High Court rulings that had allowed substitutions under s 35(6)(b) of the Limitation Act 1980, reports Sarah Crowther of DAC Beachcroft in this week's NLJ

NLJ this week: Driving test fraudsters steer towards jail
Cheating in driving tests is surging—and courts are responding firmly. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth of De Montfort Law School charts a rise in impersonation and tech-assisted fraud, with 2,844 attempts recorded in a year
NLJ this week: Deepfakes demand data law muscle
As AI-generated ‘deepfake’ images proliferate, the law may already have the tools to respond. In NLJ this week, Jon Belcher of Excello Law argues that such images amount to personal data processing under UK GDPR
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