UK government U-turn on scrapping retained EU laws

27/04/2023 | Independent

Those on the right of the Conservative party are up in arms this week over the news the UK government intends to abandon plans to review or scrap almost 4,000 pieces of retained EU law by the end of 2023. As reported in The Telegraph (£) and the Financial Times (£), business secretary Kemi Badenoch informed Tory Brexiters this week that most EU-era laws would remain on the statute book, with around 800 being removed by the end of the year. 

In heated exchanges, Badenoch told MPs the government's plans to remove EU laws would not be rushed and that the 'sunset clause' resulting in all EU laws automatically expiring by 31 December if they're not revised or retained will be scrapped.  

An ally of Kemi Badenoch said, “We want to streamline regulation, but we are not getting rid of stuff for its own sake... We want to do it properly. It has to be done line by line. These things need proper thought and consideration, not blanket scrapping.” 

Speaking to the FT, a Conservative MP at the meeting said, “We were dismayed by what she said. She came across as extremely weak.”

However, businesses and civil servants will welcome the revised practical approach taken by Rishi Sunak's government. 

The Guardian ran a similar story earlier in April. 

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