On 13 July 2017 the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill (the Bill) was presented to the United Kingdom Parliament for its initial reading. This draft legislation, previously referred to as the “Great Repeal Bill“, is intended to give substantive effect to the UK’s 23 June 2016 Brexit vote by, when enacted, repealing the European Communities Act 1972 through which the UK became a member of the European Union.
The Bill will also convert, for legal continuity, existing EU law into domestic UK law. Following the UK’s exit from the EU – expected to be in March 2019 – the UK Parliament will then have the ability to amend such converted EU law as it sees fit (subject of course to the UK’s other international legal obligations, including any exit agreement reached with the EU). The Bill will therefore bring to an end the supremacy of EU law in the UK.