The British government on Thursday published a draft Bill that will formally end the United Kingdom’s membership to the European Union. The new legislation will repeal the 1972 law through which Britain became an EU member and convert 12,000 EU regulations into British law.
“This Bill means that we will be able to exit the European Union with maximum certainty, continuity and control,” Brexit Secretary David Davis said, adding that he would “work with anyone” to make the Repeal Bill a success, reported the BBC.
The draft legislation, which has to be passed by the UK Parliament to become a law, includes a clause that says that the EU charter of fundamental rights will not be part of domestic law after Brexit.
The government believes that the charter, which interprets existing EU rights rather than creating new ones, will no longer be necessary after Brexit day, reported The Guardian.
However, both the Labour Party and Liberal Democrats are opposed to the exclusion of the EU charter from the Bill. “The charter of fundamental rights is a cornerstone of what makes Britain what we are,” said Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron. “I cannot understand what issue the government have with it...[it is] integral to what it is to be British.”
The Labour Party’s shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer said his party would not support the Bill in its current form. It is demanding concessions in six areas, including the EU charter on human rights and workers’ rights in the UK.
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