REUL – Metric Views

The other victory UKMA won in the end

The previous article describes how weights and measures legislation was saved from the axe by changes to the REUL Bill. There was another important victory that has also been won by UKMA with the help of powerful stakeholders though it took years to win. UKMA spent years fighting the Department for Transport before the battle to make metres mandatory on restriction signs was eventually won.

Victory for UKMA as W&M legislation is saved from bonfire of EU laws

When former Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg introduced the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill last year, around 4000 EU-derived laws were in danger of being scrapped by default at the end of this year. Among the threatened laws were several items of weights and measures legislation, which this blog covered in the Rees-Mogg’s legislation time bomb article. Several amendments to the Bill were accepted and most of the laws have been saved from the axe. The Bill received royal assert at the end of June 2023 and is now the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Act.

Amended REUL Bill is a big improvement over the original Bill

When former Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg introduced the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill, around 4000 laws were due to be scrapped at the end of this year. He and his pro-Brexit supporters had no idea which ones will disappear, what, if anything, will replace them and which ones will be kept. This has been replaced with a list of almost 600 laws that will be revoked or sunset by the end of this year. Each law on the list is shown with its associated government department, its purpose and the reason for revocation.

Government retreats on REUL Bill

The Retained EU Law Bill (REUL) Bill was scheduled for its Report Stage on Wednesday 19 April 2023. The Government has delayed the return of the REUL Bill. No new date has been set for the Report Stage. The Bill could be postponed for a long time, possibly beyond the next general election. After facing cross-party opposition from peers in the House of Lords, the Government is now considering what concessions to make on this Bill.

UKWF issues warning about risks of REUL Bill

Yesterday, the UK Weighing Federation (UKWF) issued a briefing on the regulation of the UK weighing industry and the Retained EU Law Bill. This briefing emphasised the key role of weights and measures in all areas of industry and consumers’ everyday lives and also explained the serious consequences of lowering or complete removal of current regulatory standards.

BEIS cannot tell us effects of scrapping all EU laws

Jacob Rees-Mogg, Liz Truss and current PM Rishi Sunak have expressed their commitment to scrap all EU laws. The Government is committed to implementing this policy by pushing the Retained EU Law Bill through Parliament. It is reasonable to challenge the Government about the effects of this policy and to ask what would happen if all EU laws disappeared from the British statute book. I asked the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) this question but they could not answer my question.

UKMA’s response to the REUL Bill Select Committee

Yesterday, in the House of Lords, the Delegated Powers & Regulatory Reform Committee published its report on the Government’s Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill.

The Bill, which is due to have its second reading in the House of Lords on Monday 6 February, is designed to hand power from Parliament to Government Ministers, who will then decide the fate of up to 4000 laws.

Continue reading “UKMA’s response to the REUL Bill Select Committee”

How to fix the main problems with the REUL Bill

The Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill has many serious problems. In its current form, it represents a huge power grab by the Executive. It sunsets all EU-derived laws at the end of this year unless a Minister acts to save them. Only Ministers will decide which laws are retained, which ones are amended and which ones are scrapped without parliamentary oversight and scrutiny. Affected stakeholders are excluded from the process. There is less than one year to review approximately 4000 laws and decide what to do with them. The rush to scrap or amend laws is bound to lead to mistakes, omissions and contradictions. There are ways to fix the problems with the REUL Bill.

REUL Impact Assessment described as “not fit for purpose”

On 15 November 2022, I condemned the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) for failing to produce an impact assessment on the Retained EU Law Bill. One week later, BEIS published its impact assessment (IA). Its IA document looks like a blank form with notes for someone else to fill in the blanks. No actual figures are provided for changes or deletions of any affected laws. So it is no surprise that the Regulatory Policy Committee (RPC), an advisory Non-Departmental Public Body of BEIS, has described the IA as “not fit for purpose”.

Weak regulations cause disasters like Grenfell Tower fire

Grenfell Tower was a block of flats with 24 floors in North Kensington, West London. On 14 June 2017, a fire broke out in Grenfell Tower and spread very fast throughout the block with the help of flammable cladding. This disaster destroyed Grenfell Tower and resulted in the loss of 72 lives. Many more were injured. This is a classic example of what can happen when regulations are non-existent or inadequate. If the Retained EU Law Bill becomes law, almost 4000 EU-derived laws could disappear overnight at the end of this year and ministers would only have to do nothing to let this happen.

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