Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill

The Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill is a bill before the Parliament of the United Kingdom that would revoke most legislation implementing European Union law in the UK (so-called retained EU law), following the UK's exit from the European Union.[1] It was presented to Parliament in 2022.[2]

Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill
Parliament of the United Kingdom
  • A Bill to revoke certain retained EU law; to make provision relating to the interpretation of retained EU law and to its relationship with other law; to make provision relating to powers to modify retained EU law; to enable the restatement, replacement or updating of certain retained EU law; to enable the updating of restatements and replacement provision; to abolish the business impact target; and for connected purposes
Considered byParliament of the United Kingdom
Legislative history
Introduced byJacob Rees-Mogg, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
First reading22 September 2022
Second reading25 October 2022
Third reading18 January 2023

Originally promoted by the government as the "Brexit Freedoms Bill", the bill has run into significant opposition from many sources. In late April 2023, the Secretary of State for Business and Trade Kemi Badenoch announced that the government was planning to reduce the number of laws to be repealed to around 800, as opposed to the government's original target of around 4,000 laws.[3][4] Such reversal was met with dismay by Brexit advocates, including the Bill's original architect Jacob Rees-Mogg.[5]

In May 2023, the Bill suffered further reverses as the House of Lords rejected a number of aspects of the proposed legislation.[6]

Main article: Legislative consent motion

Under the terms of devolution, the Government of the United Kingdom is required to invite the devolved administrations to indicate their consent (or not) to proposed legislation that would affect devolved matters. However, it is not required to be bound by them.

On 23 February 2023, the Scottish Parliament voted to refuse its consent to the Bill.[7] On 28 March 2023, the Senedd of Wales voted to refuse its consent to the Bill.[8]

Since May 2022, the Northern Ireland Assembly has been in abeyance due to a Democratic Unionist Party boycott in a protest against the Northern Ireland Protocol. Consequently, it has not met to consider a legislative consent motion.

References
  1. "Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill". UK Parliament. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
  2. "The Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill 2022". GOV.UK. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
  3. Hope, Christopher (2023-04-27). "Tories to leave thousands of EU laws intact in latest Brexit betrayal". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2023-04-30.
  4. O'Carroll, Lisa; correspondent, Lisa O'Carroll Brexit (2023-04-28). "Bonfire of EU laws watered down to just 800 after meeting of Brexiter MPs". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-04-30.
  5. Rees-Mogg, Jacob (2023-01-07). "Brexit is being surrendered to the declinist Europhile establishment". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2023-04-30.
  6. "Brexit: Government suffers defeats over Retained EU Law Bill". BBC News. 2023-05-15. Retrieved 2023-05-16.
  7. "Scottish Parliament refuses consent for Retained EU Law Bill". Scottish Government. 23 February 2023. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  8. "Senedd votes to refuse consent for Retained EU Law Bill" (Press release). Welsh Government. 28 March 2023. Retrieved 27 April 2023.

See also


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