Britain is publishing legislation Thursday that will allow existing European Union laws to be converted into British law when it exits the bloc in 2019.

The step is the first in a long process involving decades of laws and could bring contentious debate with Prime Minister Theresa May’s government, weakened by a snap election last month.

Voters in Britain set off the exit from the European Union one year ago in a referendum narrowly won by those advocating leaving the bloc.

Beyond the internal process of updating the law, Britain and the European Union are in negotiations on the terms of the withdrawal, which is due to be completed at the end of March 2019.
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