[Politics] Brexit: Ministers clash with MPs over plan to scrap EU laws

[BirSaNN]

Ministers have clashed with opposition and Conservative MPs over their plans to scrap EU-era laws copied over to UK law after Brexit.

Under the Retained EU Law Bill, thousands of laws are due to expire automatically after December, unless specifically kept or replaced.

Some MPs have raised concerns the deadline will rob Parliament of a meaningful say over what is changed.

But a business minister said it would set a "clear timeline" to update laws.

Speaking in the Commons, Nus Ghani told MPs it would ensure laws inherited from the EU do not become an "ageing relic dragging down the UK".

However, Labour criticised the government's time limit as a "deadline in search of a headline" that had been "plucked out of thin air".

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So far, the government has identified more than 2,400 EU laws that were copied over to UK law to minimise disruption to businesses when the UK officially left the EU in 2020.

This estimate is expected to rise significantly, as officials comb though 1,400 previously unidentified laws recently unearthed by the National Archives.

The bill would allow ministers to amend or replace EU laws using secondary legislation, a fast-track process for making new laws, prompting concerns about a lack of scrutiny.

Officials have predicted that around 1,000 new UK laws will be required to remove or replace EU-era legislation by the December deadline.

'Power to Westminster'
Bob Neill, one of several Tory MPs backing an amendment to give MPs more control over which EU laws are ditched, said the bill as it stood now would lessen Parliament's role in reviewing legislation.

Another Tory backing the change, former Brexit secretary and leading Leave campaigner David Davis, said he wanted to avoid giving ministers the power to change laws by "diktat".

He added that MPs were being asked to "sign a blank cheque", and some EU-era legislation was too important to change or remove via a fast-track process.

Under their amendment, the government would have until the end of September to draw up a list of laws it wants to scrap, with MPs then able to add or remove legislation from the list after a vote.

Labour has put down several amendments to exclude various EU laws from the December 2023 deadline, including rules on airline compensation, toy safety, transporting animals, and equal treatment for part-time employees.

Speaking in the Commons, shadow employment rights minister Justin Madders said it would ensure that "vital regulation" does not cease to be law "by accident".

Liberal Democrat business spokesperson Sarah Olney also criticised the end-of-year deadline, accusing ministers of "running roughshod" over Parliament by changing laws at "breakneck speed".

The criticism was rejected by Ms Ghani, who said the government did not plan to weaken protections and the bill was a chance to ensure the UK economy is competitive.

Environmental concerns
Campaign groups have raised the alarm over the risk posed to environmental regulation, an area where the footprint of EU-era legislation is particularly large.

EU-derived legislation in this area covers huge issues such as water quality, air pollution standards and protections for wildlife; as well as laws on mollusc farming, border checks on imported salamanders, and rules for importing hay.

EU laws covering financial services are exempted from the deadline as they have been carved out into another bill making its way through the Commons. The same is expected for EU legislation affecting VAT and customs.

Some of the EU laws affect areas areas governed by ministers in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland - but the UK government is yet to publish a breakdown.

The SNP-led Scottish government and Labour-run Welsh government have both expressed concerns about the bill, and recommended that their respective parliaments withhold their approval.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who promised during his unsuccessful summer leadership campaign to review or scrap EU laws within 100 days of taking office, is facing pressure from some Brexiteers not to change the end-of-year deadline.

Former Brexit secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg, who introduced the bill, wrote recently that the "inheritance of the EU regulatory system is now an urgent problem across our economy".

The bill will go through its final stages in the Commons on Wednesday. It will then go to the House of Lords, where it is expected to face significant opposition.

link: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-64294885