Britain gets down to Brexit on day one, with massive new bill to replace EU laws

Britain's Brexit Secretary David Davis Thursday paved the way in the House of Commons for what will be one of the biggest pieces of legislation in British history.

Davis announced a consultation document on the government's proposed Great Repeal Bill which will absorb thousands of pieces of European Union laws and regulations into British law.

EU laws covering everything from worker's rights to consumer and environmental issues will be scrapped or replaced with British equivalents, with the government saying worker's rights will be improved under British law.

Davis said the repeal bill will allow businesses in Britain to continue operating on the day after UK leaves the EU knowing the rules have not changed overnight.

The move comes just 24 hours after prime minister Theresa May triggered article 50 to start the process of Britain leaving the European Union.

The government document, known as a White Paper, sets out how the Great Repeal Bill will ensure a functioning statute book once Britain has left the EU. It also paves the way for the repeal of the European Communities Act of 1972 which originally took Britain into membership of the EU.

Davis said the White Paper lays out the approach to converting EU law into British law on the day Britain leaves the EU around March 2019.

He said a significant proportion of existing EU law will cease to work properly without changes being made.

"To enable these laws to function properly on exit the government needs to undertake a program of legislation to correct the statute book while Article 50 negotiations take place," said Davis.

Davis also said the government will use the opportunity to make sure more decisions are devolved to parliaments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

He told MPs: "We have been clear that we want a smooth and orderly exit, and the Great Repeal Bill is integral to that approach. It will mean that as we exit the EU and seek a new, deep and special partnership with the European Union, we will be doing so from a position where we have the same standards and rules.

"It will also ensure we deliver on our promise to end the supremacy of European Union law in the UK as we exit. Our laws will then be made in London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast -- and interpreted not by judges in Luxembourg, but by judges across the United Kingdom."

Davis said there will be a series of government bills to debate and vote on, both before and after Britain leaves the EU.

Stressing the importance of the Great Repeal Bill, he said it would be vital to ensuring a smooth and orderly Brexit.

"These steps are crucial to implementing the result of the referendum in the national interest," said Davis. Endit