13 JULY 2017

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The Great Repeal Bill, formally known as formal title of the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill, is being introduced to Parliament today. The Bill will allow the UK Government to "amend, repeal and improve" existing EU laws when they are written into UK domestic law.

The repeal bill is likely to be "one of the largest legislative projects ever undertaken in the UK", a report by the House of Commons library predicts, with "major swathes of the statute book" needing to be examined to see how they will work after Brexit. In order to enact new laws as quickly as possible, the government will have powers that do not involve the usual Parliamentary scrutiny process.

Chief Executive Sam Smethers says:

"The Great Repeal Bill presents a real threat to our equality laws. We want a guarantee written into the bill that there will be no weakening of protections. We also want our laws to keep pace with EU legislation.

"We cannot allow the clock to be turned back on women's rights."

"Our vision is that the UK becomes the best place to be a woman. What vision does the government have?"

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Read more

Read more about the Great Repeal Bill here.

The Fawcett Society is working to ensure something is written into the Bill to protect women's and key worker rights. Without it, many of us will be left extremely vulnerable. Find out more here.

Read the latest news related to Brexit.