Henry VIII

Converting EU law into UK law will not be simple. EU-derived law refers to other EU laws and to EU bodies. These references will need to be changed to refer to UK laws and bodies. It makes sense to allow the civil service (the executive branch of the UK's government) to make changes without requiring Parliament to vote on all of them. This is made possible by 'statutory instruments', which are also called 'Henry VIII clauses'.

They are called 'Henry VIII clauses' because King Henry VIII introduced the principle in order to force through laws that he thought Parliament would oppose.

Clearly these are rather dangerous instruments. There is a good case that they should not be allowed at all - they were not used between 1547 and 1888, the time when Britain grew from a nation to an empire, demonstrating how unnecessary they are.

Even if we accept that they are worth using, clearly there must be strict controls. The power to change legislation without Parliamentary oversight could be abused.

For example Ms Patel, the International Development Secretary, has talked about halving "the burdens" of EU employment rights, while Mr Fox, the International Trade Secretary, wants the labour market to be deregulated. The Tory government has stated that the powers will be used to "correct" laws and admit that there will be no restrictions on ministers changing bits they "do not like".

In pursuit of these powers Mrs May has just ensured that they now have control over a key committee called the Committee of Selection. This committee selects the people who will carefully go over legislation and raise concerns about any issues.

Normally the make-up of the Committee of Selection follows the make-up of the House of Commons, to reflect the votes cast in the general election. Mrs May has engineered a Tory majority on the committee - a majority they do not have in the Commons. This means controversial legislation will be considered by MPs carefully selected for their loyalty rather than for their objectivity.

British Parliamentary democracy takes the separation of powers as a basic principle: a legislature to pass, amend or rescind laws; an executive to enforce the law; and a judiciary to resolve disputes. These keep each other under control. Statutory instruments give the executive the power to alter laws, leaving only the judiciary to challenge them.

Given that these instruments are to be used for Brexit, it is worth remembering the reaction of many to the judiciary ruling on previous Brexit legislation.

Do you really want the executive to have unchallengeable power?

If Henry VIII clauses must be used, then they must be carefully limited. The legislation they refer to specified precisely and the purpose of the power stated, and they must be time-limited.

If you are concerned about a minority government bulldozing their policies through, if you believe in 'sovereignty' and that we should 'take back control', if you fear that Mr Corbyn will win the next election and use these powers to impose his own policies, then you should make your voice heard. One way is to sign this petition.