European Court case law rulings will still apply post-Brexit, says Davis
European Court of Justice case law would still apply in the UK in disputes over EU law, Brexit Secretary David Davis said on Thursday.
Addressing parliament a day after Prime Minister Theresa May formally triggered the process of leaving the EU, Davis confirmed that the ECJ would have no role in British lawmaking once the UK had left the bloc in 2019, but previous decisions up to that point would be valid.
He announced details of the Great Repeal Bill, which will see the transfer of thousands of pieces of EU law to the UK and end the role of the European courts.
Some MPs have expressed concerns that the government will try to make changes without proper parliamentary scrutiny.
"Our intention is not to fossilise past decisions of the European Court of Justice,” Davis told MPs on Thursday.
This meant that ECJ rulings would carry equal weight with the UK's Supreme Court laws after Brexit.
Davis said it was “essential that there is common understanding" of that legislation, so courts will refer to ECJ case law "as it exists on the day we leave the EU".