1,000 words / The European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018

The EU (Withdrawal) Act 2018 paves the way for Brexit by providing for the repeal of the European Communities Act 1972 and converting EU law into UK law. This post summarises how the Act works and briefly considers some of the key constitutional issues that it raises.

Human Rights Post-Brexit: The Need for Legislation?

In this post, Mark Elliott, Stephen Tierney and Alison L Young consider the implications of the EU (Withdrawal) Bill for human rights protection — and how the Bill might be amended if the protections afforded by the Charter of Fundamental Rights are to be maintained after Brexit

Sovereignty or supremacy? Lords Constitution Committee reports on EU (Withdrawal) Bill

Mark Elliott and Stephen Tierney summarise the House of Lords Constitution Committee's report on the EU (Withdrawal) Bill, and highlight some of the key constitutional implications raised by the Committee

Does the Government defeat on clause 9 of the EU (Withdrawal) Bill mean Parliament has ‘taken back control’?

In the Government's first defeat on the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill, Parliament has insisted that a withdrawal agreement cannot be implemented without its approval. But does that really mean that Parliament is now in the driving seat when it comes to shaping the terms of Brexit?

The Brexit agreement and citizens’ rights: Can Parliament deliver what the Government has promised?

In the preliminary agreement concerning the terms of Brexit, the UK Government promises to give EU citizens' rights direct effect in UK law and to make them legally ironclad unless the legislating giving effect to them is itself expressly repealed. But does the principle of parliamentary sovereignty prevent such a high degree of protection from being accorded to citizens' rights?

Public Law Update #4: Brexit, the separation of powers and devolution

The third edition of Public Law was published by Oxford University Press in May 2017. This is the last in a series of posts by the authors, Mark Elliott and Robert Thomas, taking the 2017 election and Brexit as reference points and updating readers on recent developments in the field. These posts are based on updates first published by Oxford University Press in the book's Online Resource Centre.

Public Law Update #3: The EU (Withdrawal) Bill, legal certainty and the rule of law

The third edition of Public Law was published by Oxford University Press in May 2017. This is the third in a series of posts by the authors, Mark Elliott and Robert Thomas, taking the 2017 election and Brexit as reference points and updating readers on recent developments in the field. These posts are based on updates first published by Oxford University Press in the book's Online Resource Centre.

Article for Prospect Magazine on the EU (Withdrawal) Bill

I have written a short piece for Prospect magazine about the constitutional issues raised by the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill: 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 … Continue reading Article for Prospect Magazine on the EU (Withdrawal) Bill