A year after the vote, UK to unveil first Brexit bill

A statue of Winston Churchill stands silhouetted in front of the Houses of Parliament in London, Monday, June 19, 2017. After almost a year of waffling, Britain finally opens negotiations with its European Union counterparts on Monday about leaving the bl

LONDON: A year after Britons voted to leave the European Union, the government is unveiling the first piece of legislation to make it a reality.

On Thursday the government will publish the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill, known as the Repeal Bill - and not the Great Repeal Bill, its title when announced several months ago.

The bill aims to convert thousands of pieces of EU law into British statute on the day the U.K. Leaves the bloc in March 2019.

Brexit Secretary David Davis says the legislation will allow Britain to leave the EU with "maximum certainty, continuity, and control."

But the minority Conservative government faces a fight to get the bill through Parliament.

Opposition parties fear the government plans to slip in powers to change laws without scrutiny by lawmakers.