Legislating for Brexit: the Great Repeal Bill

The United Kingdom leaving the European Union will require major changes to the statute book. On 2 October 2016, the UK Prime Minister announced plans to introduce a Great Repeal Bill in the next Queen's Speech in 2017. The Great Repeal Bill has not yet been published.

This paper considers issues likely to be raised in the Bill. It works on the basis of comments made by senior members of the Government.

This briefing addresses each of these potential elements of the Great Repeal Bill:

+ The repeal of the ECA (Section 2);
+ The challenges of converting EU law into domestic law (Section 3)
+ Other legislation that implements EU law (Section 4)
+ The proposed use of delegated powers (Section 5).
+ Devolution (Section 6)
+ The courts (section 7)

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: Government announces end of European Communities Act http://www.europeansources.info/record/government-announces-end-of-european-communities-act/

ESO: In Focus: Brexit - The United Kingdom and the European Union http://www.europeansources.info/record/brexit-the-united-kingdom-and-the-european-union/

New Statesman, 17.11.16: The Brexit nightmare we will soon be unable to ignore http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/staggers/2016/11/brexit-nightmare-we-will-soon-be-unable-ignore

IfG: Brexit: Brexit Brief: the Great Repeal Bill http://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/brexit/brexit-brief-great-repeal-bill

Blog: EU Law Analysis, 27.11.16: Rights on the Chopping Block: The Great Repeal Bill and the Ghost of Henry VIII http://eulawanalysis.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/rights-on-chopping-block-great-repeal.html

Blog: LSE Brexit, 30.11.16: Rights for the chop: how a Henry VIII clause in the Great Repeal Bill will undermine democracy http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/brexit/2016/11/30/rights-for-the-chop-how-a-henry-viii-clause-in-the-great-repeal-bill-will-undermine-democracy/

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