MPs from both parties launch fight against bill to shred EU 4,000 laws | Britain’s exit from the European Union

[ad_1]

A cross-party group of MPs including Labour’s Stella Creasy and former Conservative Brexit minister David Davis have launched a bid to rein in a held EU bill that threatens to let ministers overturn 4,000 bills drawn from Brussels at the end of this year.

Creasy and Davis put their names to an amendment that would give MPs, not ministers, the power to decide which laws are retained.

MPs are leading the attempted revolt amid fears ministers will get carte blanche to rewrite employment protection law, environmental regulations and more when they decide how to replace EU-derived laws that will be scrapped.

Conservative MPs supporting the amendment include Davis, one of the leaders of Brexit, Robert Buckland, the former justice secretary, Dan Boulter, the former health secretary, and Caroline Knox, chair of the Women and Equality Committee. Other MPs include Hilary Benn, the Labor MP and former shadow secretary for Brexit, Sarah Olney of the Liberal Democrats and Brendan O’Hara of the Scottish National Party.

As a first step, the proposed amendment would require ministers to specify exactly which laws they plan to delete. Then, MPs will be given the power to remove laws from the list proposed for repeal.

Existing laws due to be deleted cover every aspect of life in the UK including compensation for delayed trains or flights, the right to paid annual leave, equal pay and public holidays, rules governing the use of carcinogenic chemicals in cosmetics, and minimum standards. Ensure aircraft are safe to fly, parental leave requirements and pay, disease control for avian influenza, and pension protection upon company bankruptcy.

Several opposition amendments to the bill were defeated in the fall, but the legislation will return to the House of Commons on Wednesday for another stage.

The dashboard of laws expected to be deleted is not complete, though the deadline is the end of 2023.

Creasy, who leads the amendment and is chair of the Labor Movement for Europe, said: “If this bill passes, it would lead coach and horses through parliamentary sovereignty – something we’re told would be improved by Brexit. It gives ministers, not MPs, control over Thousands of laws covering everyday life – when my constituents come to me asking whether they will get maternity rights, clean water to drink, or even the right to paid leave in a year’s time, I want to be able to tell them that it will be up to MPs, not ministers, to decide and civil servants.”

Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you through the top stories and what they mean, for free every morning of the week

Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertisements, and content funded by third parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

She added: “Whether you vote Leave or Remain in 2016, MPs now need to vote to take back control of Parliament, rather than ceding it wholesale to ministers. The government needs to be clear on exactly what laws this law covers so that MPs can decide whether it is an idea Give them complete control of these laws – the fight for our democracy begins here.”

Experts have warned that the UK faces disaster if the government goes ahead with its current plans, given the lack of scrutiny it is afforded. And it emerged in November that ministers had discovered another 1,400 pieces of legislation would be affected, rather than the 2,400 originally estimated.

[ad_2]