ABSTRACT
The debate about the UK’s membership of the EU often revolved around the issue of sovereignty. These debates often focus on the UK’s internal, or Westphalian, sovereignty (the absence of external rule) and ‘taking back control’. As the UK develops its own foreign policy, outside the Union, it will also be faced with questions related to international legal sovereignty the (juridical equality of states). This chapter explores how the UK’s withdrawal from the Union has also uncovered sovereignty questions for the UK’s international relations. It discusses the UK’s relationship with Palestine, Cyprus (Sovereign Base Areas and Northern Cyprus) and Western Sahara, as examples of how sovereignty questions arise through Brexit. It shows how the Brexit process is not only related to internal sovereignty, but also reveals the UK’s conception of international legal sovereignty.
