Theresa May already faced with Brexit battle as remoaners line up to sabotage the Great Repeal Bill
THERESA May launched her grand plan to bring back sovereignty yesterday with a mammoth scheme to transfer EU legislation to UK law.
More than 40 years of judgments will be moved on to the statute book under the Great Repeal Bill.
But it sparked a furious reaction from Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon who threatened to wreck the plan.
She accused Westminster of a power grab and warned: “That would be absolutely unacceptable.”
Brexit Secretary David Davis said the transfer of thousands of laws would give clarity to UK firms by assuring legislation was not changing overnight.
'NO DEALS TILL £50BILLION BILL IS PAID'
FRENCH president Francois Hollande yesterday rang Mrs May to say she must pay Britain’s £50billion divorce bill before talks can begin on a future trade deal.
He joined Angela Merkel in snubbing the PM’s call for the talks to be thrashed out in parallel.
Ireland, one of Britain’s closest allies in the bloc, also insisted exit terms must be sorted out first. Brexit Secretary David Davis said there was no chance of the UK paying “anything like” the figure.
Britain was also told not to expect a penny in return for its share of EU assets, as European leaders met in Malta.
There was fury over Mrs May’s threat to pull security co-operation if Britain was offered a bad trade deal, with leading figures saying it was “blackmail”.
Mr Davis told MPs: “This is vital to ensure a smooth and orderly exit.”
He insisted Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland would get more powers under the Bill.
But opposition MPs said they were concerned the Government could use so-called Henry VIII powers to modify laws they do not like without giving MPs a say.
Ms Sturgeon, who signed her request for a second independence referendum yesterday, also said she had received no guarantees Scotland would still have control over fisheries and agriculture.
She said: “That leads me to suspect that the Tories are planning a power grab on Parliament.”
Gina Miller, the hedge fund boss who won the legal battle to give MPs a vote on Article 50, also waded into the row and threatened legal action.
MAY PENS LOVE NOTES TO EUROPE
THE PM sent love-bombs to Europe yesterday by setting out Britain’s hopes for a strong EU relationship in seven newspapers.
Writing for Le Parisien she told French readers: “We will continue to be strong partners and allies.”
For Germany’s Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung Theresa May underlined close cooperation over Syria and Ukraine.
She also had articles in papers in Spain, Ireland, Italy, Poland and Sweden.
And speaking to Dutch PM Mark Rutte, Mrs May expressed a desire for a “special partnership”.
Meanwhile, a Polish MP claimed EU Commission boss Jean-Claude Juncker’s “alcohol dependency” threatens the unity of the EU.
She said: “If there is any sniff they are trying to use Henry VIII powers, that would be profoundly unparliamentary and undemocratic.”
Government sources last night sought to play down the clash.
They insisted the Repeal Bill was just common sense.
One told The Sun: “It ensures our laws function properly on the day we leave the EU.”
One insider pointed out hard-line Brexit-backing Tories were questioning why any EU laws should be brought back at all.
Backbencher Desmond Swayne said the decision gave him the collywobbles.
MP Christopher Chope provoked howls of outrage in the Commons by demanding reassurances that once we leave the EU the Government will “indeed have the power to amend, repeal or improve all this ghastly EU legislation?”.
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Mr Davis said the hated European Court of Justice would have no future role in British affairs but its case law would be put on a par with the same decisions as our own Supreme Court.
Keir Starmer, Labour’s Brexit Secretary, vowed to challenge the Government throughout.
But former Labour peer Lord Mandelson claimed his weak opposition had made Labour impotent.
He called for a new national resistance of street protests and setting up new newspapers.
The Lib Dems last night threatened to “grind the Government’s agenda to a standstill” unless proper safeguards were given over protecting certain EU rules.
This would entail threatening opposition to every single one of an expected 800 to 1,000 statutory instruments required to bring legislation into law.
In a sign of the panic among Tories ranks, sources claimed party whips had already contacted the Lib Dems to see what areas concerned them.
STURGEON POLL PLEA TO PM
NICOLA Sturgeon has written to Theresa May to formally demand a second Scottish independence referendum, it emerged last night.
The Scottish Government posted a picture of Scotland’s barefoot First Minister curled up on a couch writing the letter last night.
It comes after MSPs voted this week by 69 to 59 in favour of seeking permission for a referendum to take place between autumn 2018 and spring 2019.
However, the PM has repeated her vow that “now is not the time” for a new poll.
And Scottish Secretary David Mundell said the UK Government would decline the request.
What Does Brexit Mean For You?
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Separately last night speculation intensified about pro-Europeans clubbing together to form a new centrist party.
Sources claimed pals of George Osborne had approached Lib Dem leader Tim Farron about creating a new party called the Democrats.
Former Tory Minister Anna Soubry hinted she would consider joining a new alliance.
The fervently pro-EU MP said: “If it could somehow be the voice of a moderate, sensible, forward-thinking, visionary middle way with open minds — actually things which I’ve believed in all my life.”
HANDS UP IF YOU'RE A SECRET BREXITEER
FORMER PM David Cameron has reinvented himself as a Brexiteer.
Yesterday Cameron insisted he never liked the European Union.
The Remain chief told an audience in Ukraine he was glad he called the EU Referendum, adding: “I didn’t like the European flag and European Parliament . . . that political union element.”