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Brexit Campaigners Ready For Battle As Repeal Bill Launches

The first real chance for Brexit remainers to flex their political muscle has opened up with the publication of the repeal bill.

The draft legislation is the UK government’s tool for ensuring EU laws passed over the past four decades are empowered in UK law when Britain leaves the bloc.

Essentially the repeal bill gives UK policymakers the power to review and adapt EU laws into British law after March 2019, when the nation officially leaves Europe.

For politicians against Brexit, debates and votes as the bill passed through Westminster give them an opportunity to vote down the government and amend prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit plans.

She has a slender majority and needs every one of her Tory MPs and allies in the Democratic Unionist Party to toe the line or she risks defeat which could plunge the government into turmoil and trigger another general election.

Self-inflicted dog fight

The minister in charge of Brexit, David Davis, has issued a plea for MPs to work together to smooth the way of the bill through Parliament.

Opposition parties have pledged to vote against the bill – with Labour calling for significant amendments and the Scottish Nationalists urging clarity over which EU powers will be devolved to regional assemblies.

Many voters feel no sympathy for the dog fight ahead for May as the Tories have brought Brexit mayhem on themselves.

First, former Prime Minister David Cameron exiled himself to the political wilderness by losing the Brexit referendum he felt sure he would win. His aim with the vote was to win a mandate to stay in Europe to silence the Brexiteers in his party.

Repeal Bill countdown

He resigned as prime minister and as an MP shortly after.

Theresa May then went to the country with a snap election hoping to increase her government’s majority and ticked up another failure in the polls.

Both underestimated the bad feeling British voters nursed towards Europe even though few considered the economic implications of quitting the EU.

Although published before the summer recess at Westminster, the remainers and leavers have the break to rally their supporters ready for the debate on the bill to start in the autumn.

Regardless of the result, the bill must pass through the House by March 2019 to be ready to for Brexit day.

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