The UK has ditched plans for a Brexit "bonfire" of retained EU law, with Rishi Sunak being accused of breaking his promises by a former Cabinet minister.
We have reached a watershed moment in the long Brexit saga. The government’s U-turn this week on the Great Repeal Bill has laid bare the great elephant-sized conundrum that has always been at the heart of Brexit: identifying any significant EU laws that were both holding Britain back and can be ditched without damaging our own economy.
Post-Brexit chemicals regime risks UK becoming ‘dumping ground’ for dangerous substances, campaigners warn
16/12/2021
A plan by Boris Johnson’s government to change the regulation of chemicals after Brexit risks making the UK a “dumping ground” for harmful substances, experts and campaigners have warned.
Rishi Sunak is facing a backlash from Tory Brexiteers after ditching a promise to complete a “bonfire” of remaining EU-era laws by the end of the year.
In the months after Boris Johnson signed his post-Brexit trade deal with the European Union, the coronavirus masked the economic damage of leaving the bloc. As the pandemic drags on, the cost is becoming clearer -- and voters are noticing.
'Bonfire of Rights' Bill will unleash chaos
18/01/2023
Today, MPs will debate and vote on the Retained EU Law Bill which if passed, could endanger thousands of rights and protections in the UK.
Alarm raised over business ‘barriers’ which ‘cost jobs and money in the UK’ – as public unhappiness confirmed. / “no appetite for widespread deregulation or divergence from EU rules” – UK Trade and Business Commission
Government considering using Brexit "freedoms" to ditch EU car safety measures designed to protect cyclists
07/02/2022
Britain may use Brexit "freedoms" to ditch planned EU car safety regulations designed to better protect pedestrians and cyclists, the government has said.
‘Potential consequences are deeply alarming’, says Chartered Institute of Environmental Health
While looking for Brexit opportunities: Jacob Rees-Mogg profits directly from Chinese pharma and Russian gas investments
21/02/2022
The government’s new minister for Brexit opportunities, Jacob Rees-Mogg, is directly profiting from significant investments in a pharmaceutical company in China as well as a Russian gas company, according to reports.
Critics argue that the social change required would be unacceptable.
The government’s “Brexit freedoms bill” could see all legal protections from pesticides abolished, wildlife campaigners have warned, putting insects, wildlife and human health in danger.
The government has set out a plan to overhaul EU laws copied over after Brexit - a move it says will cut unnecessary "red tape" for businesses.
Joyce Watson, Labour regional Senedd Member for Mid and West Wales, recently asked what Wales was doing to protect its ports at the Welsh Parliament.
The government has said it could use its new Brexit "freedoms" to ditch planned EU car safety regulations. / Package of measures aimed to reduce head injuries and pedestrian deaths.
The government is planning to water down the regulatory requirements on key chemicals, in what experts fear could be the first move to a weaker post-Brexit safety regime for potentially toxic substances.
Report shared with POLITICO urges UK to keep pace with Brussels. / Britain must not "rip up" protections for workers as a government review considers doing away with EU laws carried over post Brexit, according to a new report.
Fears of ‘bonfire’ of EU laws behind parliament’s back under new plans to seize ‘Brexit freedoms’
31/01/2022
A bonfire of EU laws on everything from data privacy to road standards will be forced through behind parliament’s back under new plans to seize “Brexit freedoms”, it is feared.
Jacob Rees-Mogg issues plea to readers of The Sun to flag possible Brexit benefits to him
10/02/2022
Jacob Rees-Mogg has issued a plea to readers of a tabloid newspaper to write to him if they can identify any possible benefits of Brexit.
Scotland’s constitution secretary has warned the UK government’s so-called Brexit Freedoms Bill poses a renewed threat to devolution.
Women to be worst hit by Tory bonfire of EU employment rights after Brexit, report claims
17/01/2023
Research says that of the 8.6 million workers most affected by scrapping of EU protections, around six million will be women.
“Changing data protection law is very central to the government’s post-Brexit policy. We all remember the A-levels fiasco in 2020."
Tory MPs urge government to scrap EU pesticide regulations and allow all US chemicals on food
14/06/2022
Conservative MPs have urged the government to use its Brexit freedoms to ditch the EU’s cautious approach to making sure pesticides are safe for human consumption.
Big firms want Donald Trump to play hard ball over the NHS, food quality and consumer rights.
Real pay set to be £470 lower per worker each year, say top economists. / “We can’t blame Brexit for all of the 5.2 per cent GDP shortfall … but it’s apparent that Brexit is largely to blame,” said John Springford, author of the CEF study.