header-logo header-logo

Brexit: a cautionary tale for divorcing couples?

06 October 2019 / Graeme Fraser
Issue: 7859 / Categories: Features , Family , Brexit
printer mail-detail
Brexit is not divorce writ large but there are some parallels when it comes to brinkmanship & punishment, says Graeme Fraser
  • Like Brexit, divorce has traditionally been framed in similarly adversarial and belligerent terms and this has also led to counterproductive behaviours.

Brexit has been characterised as a divorce so often that it has become a cliché. Two parties are ending their formal relationship, with emotions running high and a financial settlement looming large. However, Brexit and divorce are not quite as similar as they might appear. 

Brexit is vastly more complicated than divorce. Divorce involves two individuals, while Brexit involves a supra-national organisation, 28 culturally-diverse states and a combined population of over half a billion people with wide-ranging viewpoints. International and domestic politics come into play in Brexit with no equivalence in divorce. The EU are concerned to discourage other member states from following the UK’s lead and must consider the Good Friday Agreement. Meanwhile, the UK Government must ensure any deal is approved by Parliament.

Brexit

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

Gilson Gray—Linda Pope

Gilson Gray—Linda Pope

Partner joins family law team inLondon

Jackson Lees Group—five promotions

Jackson Lees Group—five promotions

Private client division announces five new partners

Taylor Wessing—Max Millington

Taylor Wessing—Max Millington

Banking and finance team welcomes partner in London

NEWS
The landmark Supreme Court’s decision in Johnson v FirstRand Bank Ltd—along with Rukhadze v Recovery Partners—redefine fiduciary duties in commercial fraud. Writing in NLJ this week, Mary Young of Kingsley Napley analyses the implications of the rulings
Barristers Ben Keith of 5 St Andrew’s Hill and Rhys Davies of Temple Garden Chambers use the arrest of Simon Leviev—the so-called Tinder Swindler—to explore the realities of Interpol red notices, in this week's NLJ
Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys [2025] has upended assumptions about who may conduct litigation, warn Kevin Latham and Fraser Barnstaple of Kings Chambers in this week's NLJ. But is it as catastrophic as first feared?
Lord Sales has been appointed to become the Deputy President of the Supreme Court after Lord Hodge retires at the end of the year
Limited liability partnerships (LLPs) are reportedly in the firing line in Chancellor Rachel Reeves upcoming Autumn budget
back-to-top-scroll