Brexit: What happens after Friday 31 January?

Published on: 30 January 2020

Members following the Brexit negotiations will know that the UK is set to leave the European Union (EU) this Friday 31 January 2020. The UK will then enter a transition period in which it will continue to participate as if it were a member state. During this time, our relationship with the EU will remain the same as it is now and continue along the lines of business as usual.

Earlier this month the Withdrawal Agreement Bill (WAB) was approved by both Houses of Parliament. The Bill was later granted Royal Assent and is now an Act of Parliament.

The UK will leave the EU on 31 January 2020 at 23:00GMT. The UK will then enter a transitional period, and in the 11 months that follow, aim to negotiate a Free Trade Agreement with the EU.
A new Taskforce is being set up to negotiate on key policy areas. This taskforce will replace the Department for Exiting the European Union which will cease to operate when the UK leaves the EU on 31 January 2020.

Transition Period

It is important for our members to know that our relationship with the EU will remain the same as it is now throughout the transition period.

Over the course of the next 11 months, the UK will effectively continue as if it were a member state. It will continue to participate within the customs union and single market, continue to comply with EU trade policy, continue to apply EU customs tariffs and collect EU customs.

A new negotiating Taskforce

Earlier this week, the Prime Minister also announced that a new taskforce would be set up to lead on the Brexit negotiations.

This new Taskforce Europe will consist of a small and agile team of 40 people led by David Frost, the UK's current Brexit negotiator and will report directly to the PM.

The new team will work with other Whitehall departments, officials and industry experts on specific policy areas. Crucially, the taskforce will replace the Department for Exiting the European Union which will cease to operate when the UK leaves the EU on 31 January 2020.

What happens next?

The revised clause in the Withdrawal Agreement rules out extending the transition period beyond 31 December 2020. Therefore, if no trade agreement is reached by 31 December 2020, the UK will leave the EU without a deal.

British Marine recognises the importance of the marine leisure industry to the UK economy and will, over the coming months, continue its engagement with Government to ensure the interests of its members are represented throughout the negotiations.

Further information

Members can visit our dedicated Brexit page for all the latest information and guidance.

More information is also available on the Gov.uk website.

For advice on exporting, the Department for International Trade has issued guidance on exporting and trading items subject to controls during the transition period. This advice can be found here.