Why Brexit Is Going Nuclear Over Leaving a Regulator

When U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May formally began the Brexit process in March, her government also exercised its right to withdraw from the European Union’s nuclear regulator, the European Atomic Energy Community. The decision has drawn opposition by the nuclear industry and from within May’s own Conservative Party. Just as bankers have made London a global financial hub, nuclear workers have turned the U.K. into a central cog servicing the world’s flow of atomic materials. Leaving the regulator known as Euratom will require the industry to create new ways of doing business.

Not necessarily. Lawyers have argued that the U.K. could remain a Euratom member, post-Brexit, since the regulator is "separate and legally distinct" from the EU, created under a different treaty 60 years ago. It’s unclear, though, whether May’s government could, even if it wanted to, maneuver a U-turn reversing its decision to leave, now that notice has been given.