European law expert to present lecture on post-Brexit UK democratic challenges

Leading barrister Tom de la Mare KC will give this year’s Centre for European Law and Internationalisation Annual Lecture at University of Leicester.

Taking back Executive Control: the post-Brexit Democratic Deficit of the UK will take place at the David Wilson Library (University Road, Leicester) on Wednesday 8 May.

Tom de la Mare is a renowned legal expert in EU law, public law and regulatory law. He has been involved in some of the most prominent recent cases involving EU Fundamental Rights and EU Treaty rights issues.

In this public lecture, de la Mare will illuminate the continued effect and relevance of EU law in the UK (through “retained EU law”, now “assimilated law”), drawing on his case practice in recent years.

It will discuss how the conferral of extensive and largely untrammelled powers of delegated legislative powers, including unparalleled Henry VIII powers to amend primary legislation have unbalanced our domestic order, leaving the UK with its own democratic deficit in the form of largely unaccountable executive powers.

Tom de la Mare is an acclaimed expert on Brexit and the UK’s post-Brexit constitutional landscape (in particular, the  effects of the Withdrawal Agreement and the Trade and Cooperation Agreement and their implementation in the UK (in particular, through the EU Withdrawal Act 2018 and the EU Future Relationship Act 2020). 

He acted for the Public Law Project in the Miller 2 litigation and for the UK in CJEU Grand Chamber hearing in Wightman, as well as in the two last references from UK Courts (London Steam-Ship Owners Mutual Insurance Association and CG), both of which have spawned significant post-IP Completion Day litigation.

The lecture is the latest in an annual series held by University of Leicester’s Centre for European Law and Internationalisation (CELI).

CELI has been conducting leading research on European and International law for almost twenty-five years. In particular, CELI’s research focuses on law within the European Union and the Council of Europe (European Court of Human Rights and European Social Charter).

The Centre is co-directed by Dr Rossana Deplano and Professor Katja Ziegler. More information about CELI can be found here.

Professor Ziegler said: “We are delighted to have won such an authority as Tom de la Mare KC to provide perspective of a high level practitioner on the complex constitutional issues triggered by Brexit. His lecture will demonstrate, not only how EU law remains relevant for and in the UK even after Brexit and why students in the UK still need to study EU law. More broadly it will give food for thought about the state of democracy and the rule of law in the UK which should be a concern for any citizen.“

More information about the CELI Annual Lecture, email celi@leicester.ac.uk.