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Brexit to put strain on Britain and test processes to their limits: report

Xinhua, November 2, 2016 Adjust font size:

A leading political research group warned Wednesday that Brexit will push processes and constitutional issues in Britain to their limits.

The London-based Political Studies Association (PSA) gives its warnings in a new report, "How the United Kingdom might leave the European Union".

The report has been produced by ESRC, the Economic and Social Research Council-funded UK in a Changing Europe initiative for the Political Studies Association.

Leading academics from the association say Brexit will place enormous pressures on the British parliament, the civil service, the courts and the British constitution.

The report sets out immense legal, constitutional and bureaucratic challenges involved in the Brexit process.

A spokesman for the PSA said: "The civil service faces its biggest ever challenge. Negotiations with the EU will entail extensive coordination between new and existing ministries and an immense workload."

"Parliament will have its work cut out dealing with the volume of work triggered by the government's 'Great Repeal Bill'. Identifying and transposing all relevant EU law will be a daunting and time consuming task. The alternative is to work via secondary legislation, which would raise concerns about transparency, legitimacy and legislative quality."

The report suggests there is a lack of clarity over what the Article 50 negotiations will address, notably whether negotiations over the future British-EU relationship can be conducted simultaneously.

Professor Anand Menon, director of UK in a Changing Europe said: "Article 50 negotiations will be tricky and hideously technical but that is the easy bit. When it comes to the crafting of a future relationship, almost everything is up in the air."

The PSA says the report shows how Brexit will put the constitutional fabric of Britain under strain. The Great Repeal Bill will impinge on the balance of power between Westminster and the devolved parliaments. It will lead to increased policy differentiation in areas such as agriculture, fisheries, the environment and higher education, the report adds.

Professor Menon added: "Brexit has the potential to test the UK's constitutional settlement, legal framework, political process and bureaucratic capacities to their limits - and possibly beyond." Endit