What's New

The Cabinet Office has published a paper, setting out the Government’s approach to implementing the Northern Ireland Protocol, by upholding Northern Ireland’s place in the UK while respecting the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement.

The UN’s International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has urged national governments to establish special COVID-19-free Public Health Corridors (PHCs).

In sharp contrast to the gloomy reactions from both sides to the latest round of negotiations between the UK and the EU (see EU-UK trade talks in danger of delay), trade talks with the United States seem to have got off to a good start.

With the Government encouraging more people to return to work, assuming they are not among the group who can work from home, employers are having to think seriously about what measures they will need to ensure workplace safety.

The Department for International Trade (DIT) has published details of how to check the tariffs that will apply to goods being imported when the UK Global Tariff (UKGT) takes effect on 1 January 2021, replacing the EU’s Common External Tariff (CET).

Updated guidance for the freight transport industry on international travel has been issued following the latest government advice for British nationals.

With public and media attention almost totally focused on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ongoing trade talks between the UK and the European Union are getting little to no attention.

The British Standards Institution (BSI) has warned that some manufacturers are selling medical face masks and other fake personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers using false certificates and that other A4-sized face shields, made in good faith by communities to help frontline workers, could be unsafe because they are too narrow.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has announced that the Congestion Charge, Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) and Low Emission Zone (LEZ) will be reinstated on Monday 18 May, “to prevent London’s roads from becoming unusably blocked”.

Based on the existing EU-Japan Free Trade Agreement (FTA), the UK is seeking to conclude a similar trade deal with Japan and has published its negotiating objectives ahead of the planned beginning of talks.