Britain’s bill to cut EU ties makes rocky start
London, Sept. 7: A landmark bill intended to smooth Britain’s exit from the European Union faced a rocky first ride in parliament on Thursday as the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator voiced scepticism about British proposals.
The bill provides for the repeal on Brexit day of the 1972 European Communities Act that conferred Britain’s membership, and also converts an estimated 12,000 existing European regulations into British law.
Ministers say it is the first step in implementing last year’s referendum vote for Brexit, and will provide legal continuity to ensure no “cliff-edge” when Britain leaves the bloc in March 2019. “Without this legislation, a smooth and orderly exit is impossible,” Brexit secretary David Davis told MPs in the House of Commons, as Prime Minister Theresa May sat by his side.
But critics accused Ms May’s government of an unprecedented power grab. Opposition parties say it represents an “unacceptable” extension of executive power by allowing ministers to amend EU laws as they are transferred withoutparliamentary scrutiny.
“The repeal bill helps deliver the outcome the British people voted for by ending the role of the EU in UK law, but it’s also the single most important step we can take to prevent a cliff-edge for people and businesses, because it provides legal certainty,” Ms May had said in a statement. “It’s an unprecedented powergrab,” said Labour’s Brexit spokesman Keir Starmer.