UK lawmakers debate vital EU withdrawal bill

The passing of the bill, which largely seeks to copy and paste EU law into British legislation, is especially important for a government that is being scrutinised over its faltering Brexit strategy.

Politics in Britain has been increasingly polarised since 51.9 percent of voters opted for the United Kingdom to pull out of the European Union in a June 2016 referendum.
Reuters

Politics in Britain has been increasingly polarised since 51.9 percent of voters opted for the United Kingdom to pull out of the European Union in a June 2016 referendum.

The UK parliament began debating legislation on Thursday to sever political, financial and legal ties with the EU, a step towards Brexit the opposition says it will challenge.

The repeal bill, or EU withdrawal bill, is central to the government's plan to exit the bloc in 2019, untangling Britain from more than 40 years of EU lawmaking and repealing the treaty that first made Britain a member in 1972.

At the beginning of the debate, Britain's Brexit minister David Davis said the bill is “vital” to ensuring that the UK leaves the bloc “in an orderly manner." 

David added that it does not make sense for Britain to retain the European Union's Charter of Fundamental Rights after it leaves the bloc, as the charter "only applies to member states when acting within the scope of EU law.”

"The charter catalogues the rights found under EU law which will be brought into UK law by the bill. It is not, and never was, the source of those rights," he said. 

British Prime Minister Theresa May earlier in the day called on parliament to support the legislation.

Reuters

Prime Minister Theresa May triggered the two-year negotiation process of getting the UK out of the EU in March 2017.

"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," May said in a statement.

"We've made time for proper parliamentary scrutiny of Brexit legislation, and I look forward to the contributions of MPs [lawmakers] from across the House [of Commons]. But that contribution should fit with our shared aim: to help get the best Brexit for Britain."

But the opposition Labour Party has said it cannot support the bill without it being amended to better protect workers' rights.

Lawmakers will vote on Monday on whether the bill can move on to the next part of its long legislative journey, when it could be amended.

Reuters

Britains Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union David Davis (L) and European Unions chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier (R) have been holding regular meetings since the Brexit process was triggered in March 2017.

Question of loyalty

While Brexit negotiations with the EU falter, Monday's vote will be a test of May's deal with a small Northern Irish party, the DUP, to shore up the majority she lost in a June election she did not have to call.

Its safe passage through parliament is especially important for a government that has been criticised in Brussels over its Brexit strategy and after a series of leaks, including one of a letter to big companies asking them to endorse Britain's plans.

Labour would need to convince EU supporters among May's Conservatives to side with them to vote down the bill, but some more vocal pro-EU Conservative lawmakers have now said they will vote with the government after asking for reassurance that parliament will be able to scrutinise any changes to the law.

But there was still disquiet about the powers handed to the government by the bill, with the House of Lords Constitution Committee describing it as "an extraordinary transfer of legal powers ... without the additional oversight we recommended."

Chris Leslie, a pro-EU campaigner and Labour lawmaker, also questioned whether parliament could trust May and Davis.

"[The bill] will give the executive unparalleled powers to change laws that affect the lives and rights of the British people by the stroke of a ministerial pen," he said.

"For Theresa May and David Davis to ask us to just trust them isn't good enough. I urge MPs from all parties to vote down this shambles of a bill." 

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