Newcastle Law colleague speaks at upcoming Brexit conference
Dr Sylvia de Mars will join Lord David Blunkett and Baroness Gisela Stuart at a forthcoming Brexit conference, a decade on from the referendum.
22 May 2026
Dr de Mars is a Reader in Transnational Public Law at Newcastle University Law School. She will join a diverse group of speakers from around the world at the University of Worcester on 25 and 26 June 2026 for The Legacy of Brexit and the Changing Political Landscape: The Impact on Public Law and Constitutional Challenges.
Bringing together expertise on Brexit
Fellow keynote speakers joining Sylvia de Mars include:
- Professor Lord David Blunkett, Chair in Politics, University of Sheffield, Labour Peer
- Professor Aziz Z Huq, Frank and Bernice J Greenberg Professor of Law, University of Chicago
- Baroness Stuart, Crossbench Peer, former co-chair, ‘Vote Leave’ Campaign, current Civil Service Commissioner
- Professor Katja Ziegler, Sir Robert Jennings Professor of International Law, Co-Director of the Centre for European Law and Internationalisation, University of Leicester This conference marks ten years since the 2016 UK referendum on EU membership and explores the public law and constitutional implications of the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union (Brexit).
It is a great honour to be able to speak at this conference and to have my expertise on the impact of Brexit on Northern Ireland highlighted as part of this broader reflection on 10 years of Brexit.
A legacy of research into the legal consequences of Brexit
Dr de Mars’ research expertise lies in transnational public law, with a general focus on how different aspects of EU law affect the public law of EU Member States. Since Brexit, her work has largely centered on the complexities of withdrawal from the EU in the Northern Ireland context.
During the height of the EU Referendum and the lasting Brexit negotiations, Dr de Mars made a significant contribution to Parliament – where she worked part-time in the House of Commons Library as an EU law specialist - and the media, giving regular evidence on the implications of Brexit for UK-EU trade and Northern Ireland – a topic she will revisit at next month’s conference.