History. 1 of 5 (effective 1 of 4): only the UK order of 1996 was in force within 79 days of the promise (56 days); the rest took 82 to 198 days.
Hunch. On 13 October the government said it aims to have the shield in force before the end of the year.
The shield market resolves on legislation.gov.uk: YES if by 31 December 2026 a minister makes an order or regulations under the Protection of Trading Interests Act 1980 against Argentine measures linked to the Falklands, and the text says it comes into force on 31 December or earlier. GOV.UK statements and BBC News settle it if the legislation site is late, and an order made in 2026 that starts in 2027 resolves NO.
We looked for cases where a government promised in public a law to stop foreign rules reaching its own companies, and then had to bring it into force. We found five such promises from 1979 to 2018, in the UK, the European Union and Canada. Only one was in force within 79 days, the time the UK has now.