Whether or not the latest Withdrawal Agreement succeeds, Brexit is still likely to launch a thousand writs, says David Greene
The latest version of the draft Withdrawal Agreement lies before us, but we are no nearer to concluding what the outcome of all the political events will be as we head towards the EU exit. Mine is not to speculate, but to contemplate the two main possible outcomes and the effect on civil justice: a departure with no deal, or a departure largely on the basis of the draft Withdrawal Agreement.
Status update
The Withdrawal Agreement is of course simply a preliminary agreement dealing with the immediate consequences of departure next March. It proposes in the main a transition period until the end of 2020 while the longer-term relationship is negotiated. The agreement provides that the period may be extended, by the newly created Joint Committee, as long as the extension is agreed by July 2020. It might thus be better termed a Transition Agreement; that was how it appeared in its original guise some months ago, but the draft now published does
