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Politics Brexit Constitution EU European Union Law parliament Withdrawal Bill

It is difficult to overstate the constitutional difficulties raised by the Repeal Bill

It is likely to generate so much confusion as to compromise legal certainty and place the rule of law at risk

By Mark Elliott  
September 7, 2017

Brexit Secretary David Davis. Photo: PA/PA Wire/PA Images

MPs today begin debating what was once grandly dubbed the “Great Repeal Bill.” The European Union (Withdrawal) Bill, as it is now more soberly known, is intended to avert legal catastrophe when Britain leaves the EU, by ensuring that the vast body of EU law currently applicable in the UK largely remains in place. So, in spite of its moniker, the Bill does not actually repeal very much. It gets rid of the European Communities Act 1972, which currently gives…

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Mark Elliott

Mark Elliott is Professor of Public Law at the University of Cambridge

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