Brexit and Beyond

12 October 2026

Hot off the press – this afternoon, the President of the European Council, António Costa, and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen announced that they will welcome Prime Minister Andy Burnham to Brussels on 20 November 2026 for the second UK-EU summit.

The Prime Minister confirmed the date while speaking on the UK-EU relationship in the Commons Chamber this afternoon.

Also, this week, we report back on Andy Burnham’s recent visit to Berlin and Minister Hamish Falconer’s visit to the European Parliament. Meanwhile, the Scottish Parliament debated relations with the European Union ahead of the UK-EU summit. Closer to home, Brexit, borders and EU law featured both in plenary sessions in the Assembly and in committee business last week – we bring you up to speed on what was discussed.  

This promises to be another packed week of parliamentary business across legislatures, as the Commons and Lords return from Conference recess – our Parliamentary Planner sets out what is coming up. And as ever, we link through to the news and stories you may have missed. 

• Assembly Round-up
• Postcards from Berlin and Strasbourg 
• Ministers in Europe, talking ‘Made in Europe’  
• Committee of the Regions – UK Contact Group set to meet in Belfast 
• MSPs debate 'Scotland’s Future in Europe'
• This week in the Assembly 
• Parliamentary Planner  
• In case you missed it… 

 Assembly Round-up

On Monday, 5 October, during Members’ Statements, Dr. Steve Aiken MLA spoke to mark the 15th annual Science and Stormont event, which was held in Parliament Buildings on Monday afternoon. Dr. Aiken highlighted the EU’s Horizon and ERASMUS programmes, which he said: “…coupled with the highly successful Turing scheme, have enabled universities across our nation to be propelled to the top of the global university rankings…” Dr. Aiken added:  “That approach means that, in conjunction with universities across these islands, Europe and the globe, research centres such as Catalyst and, in the near future, AMIC [ The Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre] can access the best science to inspire our future STEM leaders.” You can read Dr. Aiken’s statement in full here.

On Monday afternoon, Jon Burrows MLA moved a Private Members’ motion on Banning the Use of Aversive Training Tools for Domestic Animals. Responding, the Minister, Andrew Muir MLA told the Assembly that one of his published priorities from the 2025 Animal Welfare Pathway is: “… to examine the use of electronic collars and consider the approaches taken in other jurisdictions.”  

Mr. Muir described policy in other jurisdictions including Wales, Scotland and England, and noted that Ireland has signalled its intention to legislate. He observed that at a European level, “…the direction of travel has become clear in the recently published regulation on the welfare of dogs and cats and their traceability.” The Minister told Members that while it was not yet known if theEU regulationwould apply to Northern Ireland, he intended to: “…  make the case to the UK Government that it should.” You can read the debate in full here.  

On Tuesday morning, Pádraig Delargy MLA gave a Members’ Statement on Cross-border Working: Double Taxation. Mr. Delargy cited a recent Economic and Social Research Institute report which states that up to 19,000 people regularly move from the North to the South and from the South to the North for employment. He said that this had resulted in a system: “… in which people who move between Derry and Donegal or Newry and Louth, and in many of our other border communities, face double taxation and a system that treats them unfairly, first in accessing the workplace, and, secondly, in how they interact with the workplace, particularly with regard to taxation and administration.”  

Colin McGrath MLA also spoke during Members’ Statements on Tuesday to highlight pressures facing the fishing industry. He told Members that: “Difficulties have included the massive ramifications of Brexit, and, although there may have been opportunities with quotas, there have been severe restrictions on the ability to recruit staff, which has forced skippers to look internationally, even as far as Southeast Asia.”  He noted that this had resulted in: “…overseas staff being employed on inordinate salaries, and the administrative gymnastics alone that is required to obtain those staff is ridiculous and unsustainable.” Mr. McGrath’s statement can be read in full here.  

Diane Forsythe MLA also raised the fishing industry during Tuesday afternoon’s debate on a Private Members’ motion, No Confidence in the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs. She said that the motion represented the fishing community as well as the farming community. Ms. Forsythe told Members: “... Fishermen across the United Kingdom were some of the loudest campaigners for Brexit. They wanted to take back control of British waters. The failure to deliver Brexit for the United Kingdom has failed them badly. The fishing industry is under immense pressure across the board.” You can read the full debate here.  

At its meeting on Thursday, the Committee for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs considered an SL1 on The Hemp (Third Country Import) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2026. Amendments to existing legislation are required following an update to EU rules on hemp imports which are directly applicable in Northern Ireland under Annex 2 of the Windsor Framework.  

The Committee has launched a Call for Views on the proposed statutory rule, which will remain open until 21 October. The Committee Chairperson, Diana Armstrong MLA also confirmed that officials from the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs would provide oral evidence to the Committee on 12 November.  

 Postcards from Berlin and Strasbourg 

_{^{Copyright: © European Union 2026 - Source : EP- President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola meets with Hamish Falconer, UK Minister for Intergovernmental Relations and European Relations.}} 

Prime Minister Andy Burnham was in Berlin last Thursday to meet with Chancellor Friedrich Merz of Germany.  

A readout from the Prime Minister’s Office outlined that the two leaders discussed a number of security and defence issues including countering hybrid threats, the war in Ukraine, and the prospect of German participation in the Global Combat Aircraft Programme. Also under discussion were the UK’s partnership with the EU, cooperation to tackle illegal migration, and shared challenges faced by British and European industries.  

A joint statementissued following the meeting summarised milestones and next steps, including ratification of the Kensington Treaty signed between Germany and the UK in July 2025.  

The UK Minister for Intergovernmental Relations and European Relations, Hamish Falconer MP, was also across the Channel last week, making his first official visit to the European Parliament on Wednesday. Mr Falconer met with the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, and discussed how to strengthen EU-UK relations ahead of the forthcoming summit. A readout from the European Parliament notes that they also discussed “ongoing legislative files and areas where closer cooperation can make a concrete difference, including trade, competitiveness and mobility.”

Mr. Falconer also met with European Commissioner Maros Sefcovic. Writing on X, Mr Sefcovic said that he and Mr. Falconer were working continuously “to advance our shared agenda in a balanced way, anchored in our existing agreements and their implementation.” Mr. Falconer posted on X, “We are turning our reset with European partners into real results for business and citizens on both sides as we look ahead to a successful UK-EU summit.”  

 Ministers in Europe, talking ‘Made in Europe’  

^{_{Copyright: © Picture by Lauren Hurley / No 10 Downing Street: Prime Minister Andy Burnham meets Friedrich Merz, Chancellor of Germany at the Federal Chancellery in Berlin.}} 

Although security and defence topped the agenda for the PM’s Berlin visit, the Financial Times reported (paywall) that Mr. Burnham also used the talks to seek Chancellor Merz’s support to ensure UK industry is not adversely affected by the proposed ‘Made in Europe’ scheme.  

A Politico article (7 October 2026) also raised the possibility that the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, which underpins trading arrangements between the UK and EU, would ensure that UK industry is protected. The article reports comments from Minister Falconer that it is: “…overwhelmingly in both sides’ interests” to come to an agreement on ‘Made in Europe’. 

 Committee of the Regions – UK Contact Group set to meet in Belfast 

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The Committee of the Regions (CoR) – UK Contact Group will convene in the Senate Chamber in Parliament Buildings on 19 October, for the fourteenth meeting of the Group.  

The Contact Group brings together parliamentarians and representatives from devolved, regional and local authorities across the UK and EU, to provide a forum for dialogue and political partnership at the subnational level and to discuss matters arising from the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.

At next week’s meeting, Members are expected to discuss the State of Play in UK-EU relations; the local and regional dimension of the EU-UK relationship; and cross-border collaboration in higher education between UK and EU-based institutions.  

This will be the first time the Contact Group has met in Belfast, having previously met in London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Brussels. The meeting will be livestreamed via the Assembly website on Live Stream 4. 

 MSPs debate 'Scotland’s Future in Europe'

On Tuesday, the Scottish Parliament debated a motion on ‘Scotland’s Future in Europe’, brought forward by the Minister for Europe, External Affairs and Energy, Stephen Gethins MSP. The motion stated, “That the Parliament believes that the best future for Scotland lies within the European Union (EU) and that EU membership should be sought as swiftly as possible.”

Opening the debate, the Minister told Members that: “… the UK Prime Minister has now, at long last, recognised the damage that leaving the EU has done—damage that is costing the UK £250 million a day in lost tax revenues…” Mr. Gethins stated the forthcoming UK-EU summit “…will have a profound impact on devolved competences, just as the whole Brexit saga has done”. He noted that the Scottish Government had, earlier that day, published its updated position on the summit negotiations.  

Moving an amendment to the motion, Murdo Fraser MSP told Members: “Brexit has given us the opportunity to make different choices. It has given us the right to make our own trade deals with, for example, India, which is an enormous opportunity for Scottish exports and which would not have been possible had we remained part of the EU.”

Speaking specifically on Northern Ireland, Alex Kerr MSP stated, “Northern Ireland remains a part of the EU single market for goods and a part of the UK. What has been the outcome? The north of Ireland is far and away the fastest-growing part of the UK.”

MSPs voted against amendments to the Minister’s motion in the names of Neil Bibby MSP, Murdo Fraser MSP and David Green MSP.  An amendment to the motion brought forward by Gillian MacKay MSP was agreed and voted on, resulting in:  For 78, Against 25, Abstentions 16. You can read the full transcript of Tuesday’s debate here.

 This week in the Assembly 

Tabled questions to the Minister for Infrastructure, Liz Kimmins MLA on Tuesday include a request for an update on the All-Island Strategic Rail Review.

The Committee for the Economy will meet on Wednesday, when Members will hear from representatives of Atlantic Technological University on the all-island admissions pilot. The initiative forms part of the institution’s Technological University Transformation Funded (TUTF) project (2024–2026) focused on student mobility and improving progression pathways between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.  

On Thursday, the Windsor Framework Democratic Scrutiny Committee will take further evidence from Department for the Economy officials on Regulation (EU) 2026/2108 establishing the Union Customs Code and the European Union Customs Authority, and repealing Regulation (EU) No 952/2013. 

 Parliamentary Planner  

Following the recent party conference break, both the House of Commons and the House of Lords return this week and will continue debate and discussion on Brexit and EU affairs. 

House of Commons 

his afternoon, MPs will hold a Westminster Hall debate on an e-petition calling for the UK to apply to rejoin the EU. The House of Commons Library has published a research briefing in advance of today’s debate.

The Prime Minister is in the chamber this afternoon to provide an ‘International Update’. In a BBC article published this morning, Chris Mason reports: “The Prime Minister is expected to tell the Commons later it would be a "dereliction of duty" to turn down a closer relationship with the European Union - if one can be negotiated with Brussels.” The topic has also been reported by a number of media outlets including:  The Guardian, Reuters and The Independent  

On Tuesday, the Fourth Delegated Legislation Committee will debate the draft Railways (Interoperability in Northern Ireland) (Convention on International Carriage by Rail) (Amendment) Regulations 2026. These Regulations establish the conditions and technical specifications that railway equipment must satisfy before they can be placed on the market in Northern Ireland or put into service in a manner consistent with the Interoperability Directive (EU) 2016/797.  

The Seventh Delegated Legislation Committee will meet on Wednesday, when Members will debate the draftWithdrawal Agreement (Windsor Framework and Governance) (Amendment) Regulations 2026. This statutory instrument aims to provide the Windsor Framework Democratic Scrutiny Committee (DSC) with greater flexibility over timelines for scrutinising ‘replacement’ EU acts within the fixed two-month window following the publication of a relevant EU act.   

House of Lords  

On Wednesday, peers will debate a ‘Motion to Take Note’ on the International Agreements Committee report: Treaty between the UK and Poland on a Security and Defence Partnership.  

In a further ‘Motion to take Note’ on Thursday, peers will debate the Agreement between the United Kingdom and the European Union regarding Cooperation on the Application of their Respective Competition Laws. Special attention will be drawn to the European Affairs Committee, 2nd Report, Session 2024–26.

European Parliament  

The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola will participate in the European Council on Thursday, 15 October. The EU Council will meet on both Thursday 15 and Friday 16 October. Further information, including the agenda is available here.    

Also on Thursday, the Chair of the Working Group on the implementation of the Union Customs Code (UCC), Dirk Gotink MEP, will present the group’s report to the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection. The Committee will also hold a scrutiny session on the Implementation of the Customs Reform, to cover: insights on the EUR 3 temporary customs duty, and the delegated act establishing the amount of Union "handling fee". 

 In case you missed it…