EHRC briefing - EU Withdrawal Bill 18 June

In this briefing, the Commission recommends support for the following amendments:

• Support Amendment 5B in lieu, to ensure the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights can provide a guide to interpretation of retained EU law. This amendment would help to prevent gaps in the protection of fundamental rights, and support legal certainty as we leave the EU.
• Support amendment 4F in lieu, which introduces important safeguards on the use of delegated powers. This amendment reflects the constitutional principle that changes to fundamental rights should only be made by Parliament through primary legislation.

The Commission’s continued concern to prevent regression of equality and human rights protections, and to ensure Parliament can properly scrutinise any proposed changes to these fundamental protections, is shared with the three other statutory equality and human rights bodies in the UK, and a joint statement is also included in the briefing, It can be found here.