Re: Rights to operate
Nominet run .uk with the implied consent or grudging acceptance of the government and the UK Internet community.
It has no contract or licence for .uk. License is a verb in the civilised world.
Nominet is subject to UK law and a raft of regulations: GDPR, NIS, etc. Clauses 19-21 of the 2010 Digital Economy Act apply to the oversight of all UK based TLD registries. The powers that are available are remarkable.