BRITAIN has taken a step closer to leaving the European Union after the House of Commons backed key laws that allow the UK to replace a wide range of European Union rules.

But the laws were labelled a “power grab” by the Opposition because they hand the British government the ability to change rules in the future without putting them to parliament using clauses that date back to Henry VIII.

Some government backbenchers also raised concerns about the sweeping powers in the bill and warned they will try to amend parts of the laws in the next stage of debate.

After a marathon initial debate, MPs backed the bill by 326 to 290 in a vote after midnight in London. It will next go to a detailed committee stage, where it can be amended line by line.

The EU Withdrawal Bill, previously called the Great Repeal Bill, sets up the major legislation that will allow the UK to function after it splits from Europe on March 29, 2019.

The laws copy and paste thousands of existing European rules into UK law, meaning they are will still be in place after Brexit but without EU control.

Prime Minister Theresa May enjoyed a rare win in seeing the vote go through the House of Commons where she has only a slim grip on power.

After the vote, she said the bill meant the UK could “move on with negotiations with solid foundations”.

But the lengthy debate highlighted divisions in both the government and opposition over the complex Brexit process.

In a last-minute effort to ensure the government put forward a united front, ministers urged Conservative MPs to back the bill to ensure a smooth Brexit.

Brexit secretary David Davis, warned there would be “a chaotic exit from the European Union” if the bill was rejected.

Another Tory MP Zac Goldsmith said Britain could see the emergence of new “extreme political movements” if Brexit was stopped.

But several Tories including former Attorney-General Dominic Grieve said they had concerns about the Henry VIII clauses and flagged a push to tighten up the provisions in the next stage of debate.

Opposition Leader Jeremy Corbyn faced the most overt display of division, with seven Labour MPs rebelling against instructions to vote against the bill.