UK

Britain in plans ensure cross-border legal disputes fairly dealt with after Brexit

Brexit Secretary David Davis has published a paper setting out the UK's position on future cooperation with civil courts in the EU
Brexit Secretary David Davis has published a paper setting out the UK's position on future cooperation with civil courts in the EU Brexit Secretary David Davis has published a paper setting out the UK's position on future cooperation with civil courts in the EU

BRITAIN is to set out proposals to ensure that cross-border legal disputes are dealt with in a "fair and sensible way" after Brexit.

A paper setting out the UK's position on future cooperation with civil courts in the EU will say that families, businesses and individuals need "certainty" about how their cases will be dealt with following Britain's withdrawal from the European Union.

Continued close judicial co-operation will be "crucial" for millions of EU citizens living in the UK and British people living on the continent, as well as tens of thousands of businesses which buy, sell and invest across borders and many ordinary people who get caught up in legal disputes, the paper will say.

The proposals being published by David Davis's Department for Exiting the EU today are the latest in a slew of position papers setting out the UK government's position ahead of the third round of formal Brexit talks in Brussels next week. Most explosive is likely to be a paper on future relations with the European Court of Justice, expected in the coming days.

Britain is calling for a new reciprocal framework for civil law based on commitments to build on existing co-operation and to continue collaboration across borders.

Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer said: "These papers come months after the EU published their plans and offer precious little new information or concrete proposals.

"It is increasingly clear that the government are publishing bland, non-committal papers as a smokescreen to mask their failure to make any meaningful progress on phase one's core negotiating issues - including citizens' rights.

"Instead of preparing the ground for failure, the Government should focus on reaching an early agreement to the first stage of talks and make an early commitment to establish strong transitional arrangements."