Government scales back 'bonfire ' of EU laws
The government has acted pragmatically by scrapping its end-of-year deadline for thousands of EU-era laws to expire, business leaders said today.
The plan - dubbed a “post-Brexit bonfire ” - would have seen laws that were copied over to the UK after Brexit vanish, unless specifically kept or replaced.
However, critics warned the bill could lead to important legislation falling away by accident.
Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch said the government had already "revoked or reformed" more than 1,000 EU laws since the UK's EU departure took full effect in 2020.
But she said in a written statement to parliament that government departments had identified a "growing volume" of retained EU law still in force.
Rather than meeting its pledge to scrap 4,000 items of EU legislation, Ms Badenoch said the government will only revoke around 600 laws.
Cameron Uppal (pictured), policy and public affairs advisor at Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, said: “We are pleased that the Government has acted pragmatically and taken the decision to no longer apply the blanket sunset cause given the prospective fallout this would have created for businesses trading with Europe.
“It 's now vital that the Government sets out the measures they are expecting to review so businesses have clear sight of any potential changes they will need to prepare for in the coming months.
“For those businesses unsure how changes to the regulatory landscape will impact activity moving forward, I would urge businesses to visit the Brexit section on our website which contains a raft of information on how businesses can adjust to the new trading conditions. ”