Lords examine constitutional implications of Withdrawal Agreement Bill
The House of Lords Constitution Committee has today published its interim report on the constitutional issues in the Government's Withdrawal Agreement Bill. The bill is of the highest constitutional significance, given its intended effect of implementing a Brexit deal.
The European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill was introduced in the House of Commons on 21 October 2019 and received its second reading on 22 October. The Bill passed second reading, but the programme motion setting the timetable for further consideration in the House of Commons was not approved. The Bill made no further progress ahead of the dissolution of Parliament on 6 November.
The report examines the issues in the Bill, including:
- the Withdrawal Agreement's implementation period
- citizens' rights and workers' rights
- the Ireland/Northern Ireland protocol to the Withdrawal Agreement
- several broad secondary law-making powers
- the complex ongoing relationship to EU law both during the implementation period to 31 December 2020 and for the life of the Withdrawal Agreement
- parliamentary sovereignty.
Read the interim report in full here.
The House of Lords Constitution Committee will make a further final report with conclusions and recommendations on this or any similar bill which is introduced in the next parliament.
