European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 comes into force

Implementation date: 26 June 2018

In preparation for the UK leaving the EU, Parliament has passed the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018. Some sections of the Act are commenced on 26 June 2018 (the date the Act received Royal Assent). Other, key provisions of the Act will be commenced by regulations. The Act:

• repeals the European Communities Act 1972, which is the key piece of legislation that gives direct effect to EU law in the UK;
• transposes EU law applying to the UK at the moment of exit into domestic law, with the exception of the Charter of Fundamental Rights;
• creates powers to make secondary legislation, including temporary powers to enable corrections to be made to laws that would otherwise no longer operate appropriately once the UK has left the EU, and to implement the withdrawal agreement; and
• preserves the current scope of devolved decision-making powers in areas currently governed by EU law.