Rees-Mogg move to axe 2,400 laws is 'anti-democratic', say legal experts [View all]

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Laws that could disappear include ban on animal testing, workers’ rights and environmental protections

https://www.theguardian.com/law/2022/oct/24/post-brexit-proposals-mean-2400-laws-could-disappear-lawyers-warn

Leading lawyers have sounded the alarm over Jacob Rees-Mogg’s proposals for post-Brexit legislation that could result in 2,400 laws disappearing overnight – including a ban on animal testing for cosmetics, workers’ rights and environmental protections. Lawyers including one former UK government legal official who designed the concept of EU-retained law for Theresa May branded the move as “anti-democratic” and “completely barking”.

Swathes of laws including equal pay for men and women, pension rights for same-sex married couples, food standards and aviation safety rules could accidentally disappear or be redrafted poorly, they warn. The retained EU law (revocation and reform) bill will get its second reading on Tuesday. It was designed in such a way that 47 years of laws devised during EU membership will be switched off on 31 December 2023 under a so-called sunset clause.

“A lot of laws are going to be changed without any scrutiny at all by a dying government that few people respect,” said George Peretz KC, a specialist in European law. The Unison general secretary, Christina McAnea, said: “This is a countdown to disaster for all working people. It ​would mean turning the clock back to Dickensian ​times when workers had no rights.

“In a financial crisis with a headless government, people need stability and support, not a bonfire of numerous employment rights. “Ministers must act now to reassure everyone that hard-won ​protection won’t be shredded. A free-for-all ​giving the green light to unscrupulous bosses ​is not the ​route to economic growth. “All of this is deeply objectionable on two grounds – it is anti-democratic and it is anti-growth,” said Peretz, pointing out that employers need legal certainty on employment laws, technical standards and other matters before expanding or investing.

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