header-logo header-logo

Withdrawal (dis)agreement (Part 3)

21 October 2020 / Michael Zander KC
Issue: 7907 / Categories: Features , Brexit , Constitutional law
printer mail-detail
29899
A Bill for the birds? Michael Zander on the UK Internal Market Bill’s rough ride in the Lords

In brief

  • The Government had no doubt expected strong criticism from Labour, Liberal Democrats and Crossbenchers, but not that almost half the 35 Conservative peers who took part in the debate this week would speak against the Bill.

The Lords gave the Internal Market Bill a right drubbing during the Second Reading debate this week. Seven hours of debate on Monday was followed on Tuesday by closing speeches and, unusually for a Second Reading debate, a vote. The amendment moved by former Lord Chief Justice, Lord Judge, regretting that ‘Part 5 of the Bill contains provisions which, if enacted, would undermine the rule of law and damage the reputation of the United Kingdom’, was carried (on a remote vote) by an overwhelming 395 to 169.

The Government had no doubt expected strong criticism from Labour, Liberal Democrats and Crossbenchers. It may not have expected that almost half the 35 Conservative peers

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

DWF—19 appointments

DWF—19 appointments

Belfast team bolstered by three senior hires and 16 further appointments

Cadwalader—Andro Atlaga

Cadwalader—Andro Atlaga

Firm strengthens leveraged finance team with London partner hire

Knights—Ella Dodgson & Rebecca Laffan

Knights—Ella Dodgson & Rebecca Laffan

Double hire marks launch of family team in Leeds

NEWS
The Supreme Court issued a landmark judgment in July that overturned the convictions of Tom Hayes and Carlo Palombo, once poster boys of the Libor and Euribor scandal. In NLJ this week, Neil Swift of Peters & Peters considers what the ruling means for financial law enforcement
Bea Rossetto of the National Pro Bono Centre makes the case for ‘General Practice Pro Bono’—using core legal skills to deliver life-changing support, without the need for niche expertise—in this week's NLJ
In this week's NLJ, Steven Ball of Red Lion Chambers unpacks how advances in forensic science finally unmasked Ryland Headley, jailed in 2025 for the 1967 rape and murder of 75-year-old Louisa Dunne. Preserved swabs and palm prints lay dormant for decades until DNA-17 profiling produced a billion-to-one match
Small law firms want to embrace technology but feel lost in a maze of jargon, costs and compliance fears, writes Aisling O’Connell of the Solicitors Regulation Authority in this week's NLJ
Charlie Mercer and Astrid Gillam of Stewarts crunch the numbers on civil fraud claims in the English courts, in this week's NLJ. New data shows civil fraud claims rising steadily since 2014, with the King’s Bench Division overtaking the Commercial Court as the forum of choice for lower-value disputes
back-to-top-scroll