Coronavirus (COVID-19)—Is it possible to extend the Brexit transition period?

Table of contents

• What is the current position?
• The rules in the WA
• The domestic ban on extending transition
• The domestic ban on using written procedure in the JC
• The domestic consequences of an extension
• Legislating during lockdown
• Further reading

Article summary

Public Law analysis: The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has had an impact on the negotiations between the UK and the EU. This has led some to consider the desirability of an extension to the Brexit transition period. The Government has repeatedly stated that it does not intend to request any extension. In this analysis, Graeme Cowie at the House of Commons Library sets out the legal and procedural hurdles—both in the Withdrawal Agreement (WA) and in UK domestic law—to any extension of the UK’s post-Brexit transition period with the EU.