EU Retained Law Bill still represents unprecedented transfer of power to the executive

It has been reported that that the government is to revise its EU Retained Law Bill, drastically reducing the number of laws that will immediately be affected.

 

However the Bill, which allows ministers to simply remove any EU law from the statute book without parliamentary oversight, is still seen as a draconian shift of power to ministers.

Mike Clancy, General Secretary of Prospect, said:

“It seems the government may be finally recognising the folly that is the EU Retained Law Bill and its potentially disastrous impact on the workplace and wider society.’

“Any rowing back on the scope and timing of this Bill would be important progress for the campaign against it. ‘

“But even these reported changes still represent an unprecedented transfer of power to the executive and until we know what laws may be impacted, we must maintain opposition. Employment rights, environmental protections, health and safety rules and much more would remain vulnerable to the whim of ministers.

“Whilst maintaining our campaign to prevent decades of progress being wiped out at a pen stroke, we must also challenge the de-regulatory ideology that underpins this bill. Trying to pursue UK economic success at the expense of working people is doomed to fail.”