My Views

Our future relationship with Europe outside the EU

 November 16th, 2022
Written by John Grogan

I am pleased to have received a nomination to stand as Labour’s Keighley parliamentary candidate from the Labour Movement for Europe. The Labour Party accepts that Britain is now outside the European Union but that there is a clear case to have a more positive relationship with our neighbours and allies. Our trade with both the European Union and the rest of the world has declined since Brexit and exports have not recovered after COVID as they have in other major European economies. In the fields of the economy, education  the environment and fighting crime there is much scope for increased co-operation. 

It is disturbing that the retained EU law (revocation and reform) bill recently received its second reading in the House of Commons. The bill would scrap protections including the ban on animal testing for cosmetics, workers’ rights and environmental measures.
 
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. Ministers have promised to replace them in new legislation but I share concerns that they could be radically altered or poorly redrafted.
 
According to the Financial Times the new prime minister has been told it would take 400 staff in the business department alone to review 300 pieces of legislation that resulted from directives, decisions and EU rules over the past 50 years.
 

Under the proposed legislation all  laws, whether reviewed or not, would be switched off by the government on 31 December 2023, placing a huge burden on the civil service.Surely there must be other priorities at this time?