Since 1 January 2021 the UK has moved out of the implementation period for its withdrawal from the European Union (EU) and it is an appropriate time to reflect on the way forward for the UK in developing private international law. This article considers the practical steps that the UK should take in the near future. There is significant work that the UK can do to progress its commitment to the “progressive unification of the rules of private international law” by improving its commitment to the effective functioning of several key Conventions concluded by the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH). Some of these steps can and should be taken immediately, notably accepting the accessions of other States to the Hague Evidence and Child Abduction Conventions and extending the scope of the UK’s ratification of the Adults Convention to England and Wales, and Northern Ireland. Other things require more consultation and time but there are great opportunities to provide leadership in the world by ratifying the Hague Judgments Convention 2019 and, when implementing that Convention which is based on minimum harmonisation, providing leadership in the Commonwealth by implementing, at least to some extent, the Commonwealth Model Law on Recognition and Enforcement of Civil and Commercial Judgments. Within the UK, as a demonstration of best constitutional practice, intergovernmental cooperation between the UK Government and the devolved administrations should take place to consider how intra-UK private international law could be reformed learning the lessons from the UK Supreme Court’s highly divided decision in Villiers. Such work should involve the best of the UK’s experts (from each of its systems of law) on private international law from academia, the judiciary and legal practice. Doing so, would avoid accusations that Brexit will see a UK run by generalists who give too little attention and weight to the views of experts. This use of experts should also extend to the UK’s involvement in the future work of HCCH at all levels. The HCCH will only be able to be an effective international organisation if its Members show a commitment to harnessing the talents of experts in the subject within the work of the HCCH.

自2021年1月1日起，英国已退出欧盟退出实施阶段，现在正是时候来思考英国在发展国际私法方面的前进方向。本文考虑了英国应在不久的将来采取的实际步骤。英国可以通过改善对海牙国际私法会议（HCCH）缔结的若干主要公约的有效运作的承诺，来完成对“逐步实现国际私法规则的统一”的承诺，英国可以做大量工作。 。其中一些步骤可以并且应该立即采取，特别是接受其他国家加入《海牙证据和绑架儿童公约》，并将英国批准《成人公约》的范围扩大到英格兰和威尔士以及北爱尔兰。其他事情需要更多的协商和时间，但是有很大的机会通过批准2019年《海牙审判公约》在世界范围内发挥领导作用，并且在执行基于最低协调的公约时，至少在某些方面通过实施在英联邦中发挥领导作用在范围上，《英联邦关于民事和商业判决的承认和执行示范法》。在英国境内，作为最佳宪法实践的证明，英国政府和权力下放的政府之间应进行政府间合作，以考虑如何改革英国内部的国际私法，以汲取英国最高法院在维利尔的高度分歧判决中的经验教训。此类工作应使英国学术界，司法机构和法律实践领域的国际私法专家（来自其每个法律体系）都处于最佳状态。这样做可以避免指责英国退欧会看到一个由通才主义者统治的英国，而通才主义者对专家的观点给予了太少的关注和重视。专家的使用也应扩大到英国参与HCCH未来各个级别的工作。