Oral Answers to Questions

Michael Tomlinson Excerpts

Thursday 7th September 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Baker]

Of course my hon. Friend makes an important point, for which I am most grateful. An easy way to automatically keep pace with EU law, whatever it might be, would have been to remain in the EU, but the public did not choose to do that, so Parliament will decide the law in future and it will be for Parliament to scrutinise any proposed changes.

[Michael Tomlinson (Mid Dorset and North Poole) (Con)]

I warmly welcome the Minister to his place. Does he agree that the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill is not the great repeal Bill but the great continuity Bill? Workers’ rights will not be undermined by the Bill; they are already enhanced when compared with the EU.

[Mr Baker]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. The original name—the great repeal Bill—was inspired by the greatness of its constitutional significance and certainly not because of any changes it makes to workers’ rights which, as we have said, will continue unchanged.