UK publishes details of Great Repeal Bill

The UK Government has published details of proposed legislation to transfer the whole of EU law on to the UK statute book as Britain leaves the European Union.
Brexit Secretary David Davis told the House of Commons that the Great Repeal Bill will provide "clarity and certainty" for businesses and citizens as Brexit takes place, with standards and rules maintained until Parliament decides to amend or remove them.
In a move designed to quell concern over the use of so-called Henry VIII powers to pass up to 1,000 pieces of secondary legislation without close parliamentary scrutiny, Mr Davis said any powers created in this way would be "time limited" and "Parliament will need to be satisfied that the procedures are appropriate".
The Bill will repeal the European Communities Act 1972, which provides legal underpinning for Britain's EU membership.
Mr Davis told MPs: "We have been clear that we want a smooth and orderly exit, and the Great Repeal Bill is integral to that approach.
"It will provide clarity and certainty for businesses, workers and consumers across the United Kingdom on the day we leave the EU.
"It will mean that as we exit the EU and seek a new deep and special partnership with the European Union, we will be doing so from the position where we have the same standards and rules.
"But it will also ensure that we deliver on our promise to end the supremacy of EU law in the UK as we exit.
"Our laws will then be made in London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast and interpreted not by judges in Luxembourg but by judges across the United Kingdom."
WHITE PAPER
Mr Davis published details of the proposed bill in a white paper entitled Legislating for the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union.
In a foreword to the paper, Prime Minister Theresa May said the bill would "provide maximum certainty as we leave the EU", allowing businesses, public officials and individuals to plan for the future while Brexit negotiations are ongoing.
"The Great Repeal Bill is an important part of our plan to deliver a smooth and orderly Brexit that commands the confidence of all," she said.
"The task ahead may be significant, but I am confident we can make it a success. This white paper is an essential step along the way."
GIBRALTAR
In publishing t white paper on the repeal Bill, the UK Government acknowledged Gibraltar’s unique circumstances as the only EU member among the Overseas Territories.
“The Government is committed to engaging with the Crown Dependencies, Gibraltar and the other Overseas Territories as we leave the EU,” the White Paper states.
“We will continue to involve them fully in our work, respect their interests and engage with them as we enter negotiations, and strengthen the bonds between us as we forge a new relationship with the EU and look outward into the world.”
“This includes technical engagement on any implications of the Great Repeal Bill for their jurisdictions.”