May: We’ll take back control of UK’s laws from EU after Brexit
THERESA May yesterday vowed British courts will “take back control” of the country’s laws from European judges when the UK quits the EU.
The Prime Minister rejected accusations her Brexit plans will see the European Court of Justice still able to influence UK affairs after the formal break in ties to Brussels in 2019.
She came out fighting after anti-Brexit campaigners accused the Government of a “climb down” for failing to rule out the possibility of Strasbourg judges having some future role in settling disputes between Britain and the EU.
But Mrs May said: “What is absolutely clear – when we leave the European Union, we will be leaving the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice.
“Parliament will make our laws. It is British judges who will interpret those laws and it will be the British Supreme Court that will be the arbiter of those laws. We will take back control of our laws.”
Mrs May spoke out during a visit to a double-decker bus factory in Guildford, Surrey, to highlight the country’s growing global export opportunities outside the EU.
The row intensified yesterday when the Department for Exiting the EU published proposals for a legal framework for Britain’s future relationship with the bloc.
One document said: “In leaving the European Union, we will bring about an end to the direct jurisdiction of the Court of Justice of the EU.”
It insisted any rights or obligations for EU citizens or businesses arising from the withdrawal agreement would be protected by UK law rather than the ECJ.
However, it went on to suggest a “new dispute resolution mechanism” would be needed to settle “any disagreements between the UK and the EU on the interpretation or application” of the rules of the new relationship.
One possible option could be “joint committees” made up of representatives from the UK and the EU to try to resolve any issues.
Ministers are understood not to have ruled out the possibility ECJ judges could sit on any such committees and also to expect the ECJ could play a role during any transition period. Pro-Brussels Labour peer Lord Adonis said: “This is a climbdown camouflaged in jingoistic rhetoric. Even if we leave the single market, European judges will still have considerable power over decisions made in the UK.”
But Tory MP Dominic Raab said: “Our commitment as a Government since the referendum has been crystal clear – we’re ending the jurisdiction of the European Court over disputes between the EU and the UK. That’s not on the table.”