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UKIP Leader Slams Criticism of EU Withdrawal Bill as 'Affront to Democracy'

LONDON (Sputnik) - The leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP), Henry Bolton, told Sputnik on Tuesday that the recent criticism of the bill on the UK's withdrawal from the European Union by the House of Lords was an insult to democracy, as any attempt to delay Brexit runs opposite to the desire of people expressed in the 2016 referendum.
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"It is quite frankly an affront to democracy for the unelected House of Lords to be meddling in the EU Withdrawal Bill in contradiction to the decision made on June 23, 2016 [in a referendum]," Bolton said, adding that any attempt to delay Brexit was fully unacceptable and placed the chamber in opposition to the majority of UK citizens.

On Monday, the House of Lords Constitution Committee stated that the Withdrawal Bill is "fundamentally flawed" and risks "undermining legal certainty" over alleged inconsistencies on how to retain or reject EU legislation already integrated into the UK judicial system post-Brexit.

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The politician added that the party had always questioned "the relevance" of the chamber in its present form.

The United Kingdom held the Brexit referendum in 2016. In March, UK Prime Minister Theresa May officially invoked Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, launching the country's EU withdrawal process. Brexit negotiations between London and Brussels, which started on June 19, are expected to conclude by the end of March 2019, after which the two sides will likely adjust to new regulations during a two-year transition period.

READ MORE: EU Council Adopts Directives for Talks on Post-Brexit Transition Period With UK

The UK government's EU Withdrawal Bill, also known as the Great Repeal Bill, sets March 29, 2019 as the date of the country’s official exit from the bloc. The document will end the precedence of EU laws over UK legislation by repealing the 1972 European Communities Act, which formalizes London's EU membership.

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