European Union (Withdrawal) Bill: interim report

Background
Following the 8 June 2017 General Election in the United Kingdom the State Opening of Parliament took place on the 21 June 2017. This marked the formal start of the parliamentary year and included the Queen's Speech which set out the government’s agenda for the 2017-19 session, outlining proposed policies and legislation.

The programme was dominated by proposed legislation dealing with the United Kingdom's planned leaving of the European Union. Eight of the twenty seven bills to be introduced were connected with Brexit.

+ European Union (Withdrawal) Bill (introduced on the 13 July 2017)
+ Customs Bill
+ Trade Bill
+ Immigration Bill
+ Fisheries Bill
+ Agriculture Bill
+ Nuclear Safeguards Bill
+ International Sanctions Bill

Even though the bill was introduced in July 2017 parliamentary scrutiny in practice only begin in the autumn of 2017 after the summer break on the 7 September 2017. Opposition parties, human rights groups and the leaders of Scotland and Wales criticised aspects of the bill and suggested they would call for substantive amendments.The Constitution Committee of the United Kingdom House of Lords published a report called European Union (Withdrawal) Bill: interim report on the 7 September 2017.

The peers on the Committee called for the Government to act on the Committee's criticism of the 'unprecedented' transfer of powers from Parliament to Government, proposed in the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill.

The Committee said that the Bill was likely to be the most important legislation that this Parliament would consider. Their report said that the 'political, legal and constitutional significance of the Bill is unparalleled'.

The Committee's previous report The 'Great Repeal Bill' and delegated powers, published in March 2017, had been cited by Prime Minister Theresa May and Brexit Secretary David Davis as an endorsement of the EU (Withdrawal) Bill. While that report stated that the Government would need 'relatively wide' powers to make the necessary changes to adapt EU law, it had been selectively quoted. The report explicitly called for a number of key limitations on those powers.

Blog: UK in a Changing Europe, 07.09.17: What you need to know about the EU (Withdrawal) Bill http://ukandeu.ac.uk/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-eu-withdrawal-bill/

Blog: Institute for Government, 04.09.17: The Brexit Parliament starts to hit its stride https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/blog/brexit-parliament-starts-hit-its-stride

The Conversation, 07.09.17: Q+A: how does the EU Withdrawal Bill pass through parliament? https://theconversation.com/q-a-how-does-the-eu-withdrawal-bill-pass-through-parliament-83609

ESO: Key Source: European Union (Withdrawal) Bill 2017-19 http://www.europeansources.info/record/european-union-withdrawal-bill-2017-19-european-union-withdrawal-act-2018/

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

UK: Parliament: House of Lords: Committees: News, 07.09.17: Brexit fundamentally challenges constitutional balance between Parliament and Government http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/lords-select/constitution-committee/news-parliament-2017/eu-withdrawal-bill-interim-report/

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