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10 February 2020 / Amanda Robinson , David Wolchover
Issue: 7874 / Categories: Features , Brexit , Employment
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The impact of Brexit on workers’ rights

Amanda Robinson & David Wolchover argue that workers’ rights are at risk & address some concerns about post Brexit deregulation

  • The UK legal system: access to justice and admiration.
  • The Withdrawal Agreement and employment rights: diminishing legal employment protections.
  • Funding cuts: risks to the British legal system.
  • ‘Get Brexit done’: the consequences.

It is no exaggeration to claim that the legal system of the UK is widely admired around the world. For decades our Parliament and courts have been zealous in guaranteeing access to justice irrespective of wealth and status and in maintaining an equitable balance between the rights of the individual and the interests of business. 

In one particular area, the UK’s law-making institutions have, in conjunction with the EU, developed solid employment rights while at the same time ensuring that the national wealth-generating potential of business can thrive in a mixed economy (see ‘A guide to UK Employment Law’, Tim Russell, November 2019, https://bit.ly/2Ha0CPx).

EU law

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Cripps—Radius Law

Cripps—Radius Law

Commercial and technology practice boosted by team hire

Switalskis—Grimsby

Switalskis—Grimsby

Firm expands with new Grimsby office to serve North East Lincolnshire

Slater Heelis—Will Newman & Lucy Spilsbury

Slater Heelis—Will Newman & Lucy Spilsbury

Property team boosted by two solicitor appointments

NEWS
The Supreme Court has delivered a decisive ruling on termination under the JCT Design & Build form. Writing in NLJ this week, Andrew Singer KC and Jonathan Ward, of Kings Chambers, analyse Providence Building Services v Hexagon Housing Association [2026] UKSC 1, which restores the first-instance decision and curbs contractors’ termination rights for repeated late payment
Secondments, disciplinary procedures and appeal chaos all feature in a quartet of recent rulings. Writing in NLJ this week, Ian Smith, barrister and emeritus professor of employment law at UEA, examines how established principles are being tested in modern disputes
The AI revolution is no longer a distant murmur—it’s at the client’s desk. Writing in NLJ this week, Peter Ambrose, CEO of The Partnership and Legalito, warns that the ‘AI chickens’ have ‘come home to roost’, transforming not just legal practice but the lawyer–client relationship itself
A High Court ruling involving the Longleat estate has exposed the fault line between modern family building and historic trust drafting. Writing in NLJ this week, Charlotte Coyle, director and family law expert at Freeths, examines Cator v Thynn [2026] EWHC 209 (Ch), where trustees sought approval to modernise trusts that retain pre-1970 definitions of ‘child’, ‘grandchild’ and ‘issue’
Fresh proposals to criminalise ‘nudification’ apps, prioritise cyberflashing and non-consensual intimate images, and even ban under-16s from social media have reignited debate over whether the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA 2023) is fit for purpose. Writing in NLJ this week, Alexander Brown, head of technology, media and telecommunications, and Alexandra Webster, managing associate, Simmons & Simmons, caution against reactive law-making that could undermine the Act’s ‘risk-based and outcomes-focused’ design
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