Jeremy Corbyn has warned the Government against trying to use “dictatorial” procedures to allow it to change legislation related to Brexit without consulting Parliament.

Ministers will publish a white paper on the Great Repeal Bill – the mechanism for translating EU statutes into British law – on Thursday.

Reports in the Telegraph and Sunday Times today claim the document will include plans for so-called “Henry VIII clauses” to be used, which allow the Government to change laws after they have reached the statute book without votes or scrutiny from MPs or peers.

In an effort to head off claims that the move would be a power grab by the executive, the Government will stress that the powers would only apply for a limited amount of time, and would be available to the devolved administrations as well.

“The Government is clear that such a power will be time-limited, to apply before the UK leaves the EU and for a limited period afterwards,” a Whitehall source told the Telegraph.

"The Government sometimes adds this provision to a Bill to enable the Government to repeal or amend it after it has become an Act of Parliament. The provision enables primary legislation to be amended or repealed by subordinate legislation with or without further parliamentary scrutiny. "Such provisions are known as Henry VIII clauses, so named from the Statute of Proclamations 1539 which gave King Henry VIII power to legislate by proclamation." - Parliament's website on Henry VIII clauses

But the idea prompted Mr Corbyn to accuse the Government of trying to “override democracy” and govern instead through a “series of diktats”.

Asked about the report on ITV’s Peston on Sunday, he said: “I don’t think the record of Henry VIII on promoting democracy, inclusion and participation was a very good one.

"He was all about essentially dictatorial powers to bypass what was then a very limited parliamentary power.

“These things survive. The British constitution is a wondrous thing. Well, they’ve got to stop.

“We need total accountability at every stage of this whole Brexit negotiation. I understand there’s going to be about 12 ancillary and related bills.

“We’re not going to sit there and hand over powers to this Government to override parliament, override democracy, and just set down a series of diktats on what’s going to happen in the future. We’d be failing in our duty as democratically elected parliamentarians if we did that.”

The Liberal Democrats have also pledged to oppose any Henry VIII clauses, with MP Tom Brake warning the Government it would be “playing with fire” if they were introduced.

"This bill is the biggest power grab since the days of Henry VIII,” he said.

“The Liberal Democrats will not sit there and let the government say all the right things while eroding vital rights and protections that makes Britain what it is.

"We will, if needed, grind the government’s agenda to a standstill, unless proper and rigorous safeguards are given over the Great Repeal Bill. The ball is now in the Prime Minister’s court.”