Unfulfilled Divergence: Paradoxes of the UK’s Legal Development after Brexit

The paper examines the paradoxes of the UK’s legal development following its withdrawal from the European Union (Brexit), which, contrary to expectations of full legal autonomy, has revealed the resilience of integration ties and the limited extent of actual divergence. The authors explore the contradiction between the proclaimed restoration of sovereignty and the continued substantial influence of EU law on the British legal system. Special attention is paid to the mechanisms of incorporating retained and assimilated EU law into domestic legislation, as well as the role of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) in maintaining normative convergence. Empirical evidence demonstrates that, despite political rhetoric about divergence, much of the acquis communautaire remains unchanged, with UK law in certain areas continuing to align with European standards. The paper analyzes institutional and economic factors constraining radical legal separation, including pressure from the business community and the need to maintain compatibility with the EU single market. The analysis concludes that Brexit has not led to a complete severance of legal ties but has instead transformed them into a new form of interaction, where autonomy coexists with the necessity of adapting to EU regulatory realities. The study contributes to the understanding of disintegration processes in law, highlighting the enduring nature of integration legacies and the methodological significance of the UK’s experience for other regional organizations, including the Eurasian Economic Union.