Brexit at Birmingham Law School

The departure of the UK from the EU will raise fundamental and extremely intricate issues for law, politics, and policy. It is fair to say that British economy and society will be deeply affected. The same can be said for the EU and, indeed, the broader world. Virtually no area of the law will remain untouched.

It is of fundamental importance that academic expertise is brought to bear not only on the questions of when and how Brexit might happen, but also on its impacts on domestic, European, and international law.

As one of the world’s leading law schools with a long heritage in European, constitutional, and transnational law, Birmingham Law School is well placed to take a leading role in academic and policy debates on Brexit.

Our experts

Birmingham Law School is home to the Institute of European Law, directed by Professor Martin Trybus and established in 1989. Among its many activities, the IEL has been and continues to undertake research in the implications of Brexit from an EU-law perspective. Members of the IEL include:

Professor Martin Trybus (European law and policy)
Professor Anthony Arnull (general principles of EU law, European Court of Justice)
Dr Sophie Boyron (European public law, French law, UK constitutional law)
Dr Aleksandra Cavoski (EU environmental law, the EU and accession countries)
Dr Rilka Dragneva-Lewers (development and Eurasian economic integration)
Dr Julian Lonbay (European legal services)
Dr Marianne Wade (EU criminal law and criminal justice)

Beyond the Institute, BLS scholars and academics include leading public lawyers interested in the constitutional law implications of Brexit:

Professor Robert Lee (public law)
Professor Fiona de Londras (public law, EU counter-terrorism, law and security)
Professor Jean McHale (health law)
Dr Natasa Marvonicola (public law, human rights)
Dr Karen McAuliffe (law and language)
Dr Ben Warwick (public law, implications of Brexit for Northern Ireland)
Dr Bosko Tripkovic (comparative constitutional law)
Dr Alan Greene (constitutionalism and judicial review).

Research projects:

UK Health Law Outside the EU: Immediate, Intermediate and Long Term Impacts - an ESRC-funded project under the UK in a Changing Europe Initiative led by Professor Jean McHale.

Evidence:

Ben Warwick et al Evidence published in response to Public Bill Committee on the Immigration and Social Security Co-ordination (EU Withdrawal) Bill 2019
Jean McHale presented research project findings to Keir Starmer at a University of Birmingham event
Anthony Arnull submitted evidence to government inquiry on Brexit: enforcement and dispute resolution, which was cited in the HoL report
Professor Jean McHale, Professor of Health Law at Birmingham Law School, gave evidence to the Health Select Committee on the impact of Brexit. Coverage in The Independent, Huffington Post and The Connexion.
Dr Ben Warwick, Lecturer at Birmingham Law School (with de Mars, O’Donoghue and Murray) provided written evidence to the House of Lords EU Select Committee on the impact of Brexit on Devolution, which was cited in that Committee’s final report.

Publications:

BLS academics’ contributions to the debates on Brexit involve both scholarly research and media and policy engagement.

Alan Greene, Brexit and Human Rights in Northern Ireland
Jean McHale, UK in a Changing Europe Report – “Brexit and the NHS”
Jean McHale, “We must remain committed to public health when we leave the EU”
Jean McHale, The UK in a Changing Europe Report - 'Article 50 One Year On'
Jean McHale, The UK in a Changing Europe Website Article 'The NHS at 70 and Brexit'
Ben Warwick et al, Discussion Paper on the Common Travel Area IHREC – a document that has been cited heavily by Oireachtas, HoC, third sector organisations, & informed Post-Brexit legislation concerning the CTA
Ben Warwick et al, “What Brexit Means for Future of the Common Travel Area between Ireland and the UK” via The Conversation
Meghan Campbell et al, “The Continuing Impact of Brexit on Equality Rights” & blog post
Ben Warwick, Bordering Two Unions
Robert Lee, "The Great Repeal Bill could prove costly"
Fiona de Londras, Triggering Article 50: the task that lies ahead
Fiona de Londras (et al.) "Brexit and the British Bill of Rights"
Fiona de Londras, "Perspective: Trump's Immigration Ban: A Legacy of Securitised Immigration Rhetoric?"
Ben Warwick (et al.) "The Common Travel Area: Prospects After Brexit"
Martin Trybus, BLS Perspective: Extracting the UK from EU law: The 'Great Repeal Bill'
Fiona De Londras, BLS Perspective: Negotiating Brexit
Tony Arnull, BLS Perspective: A storm in a glass of water?
Graham Gee, Luca Rubini, Martin Trybus: European Public Law special issue: Leaving the EU? The Legal Impact of 'Brexit' on the United Kingdom
Ben Warwick (et al.) Northern Ireland and the Brave New World of Brexit
Ben Warwick (et al), Northern Ireland-Focussed Commentary on the UK-EU Phase 1 Report

Videos

Professor Tony Arnull on the UK and Europe
Sir Stephen Wall keynote to our Leaving Europe event

Media Engagement

28 Jan 2019: Prof Martin Trybus was interviewed by Publinews International on Things you need to know about the next stages of Brexit
15 Jan 2019: Anthony Arnull interviewed by BBC Radio Gloucestershire ahead of the first meaningful vote on the Withdrawal Agreement
19 Oct 2018 & 26 Nov 2018: Anthony Arnull interviewed on Voice of Islam drive-time radio about Brexit

Contact us:

BLS experts can be contacted directly through the contact details on their staff profiles. Alternatively, media enquiries can be directed to the Press Office.

Find up-to-date information on how BLS is shaping the Brexit debate(s) by following us on twitter: @bhamlaw