Carmichael speaks out against “slapdash” scrapping of EU law

Politicians and civil society groups have warned that the Bill risks unintended consequences by repealing large sections of the UK’s regulatory framework automatically and with little oversight, particularly as ministers will be able to decide on the future of former EU regulations without a parliamentary vote or debate.

Mr Carmichael said:

“This wholesale torching of longstanding laws is slapdash at best and outright dangerous at worst. It is dangerous for people because we are removing regulations with little understanding of the consequences for safety. It is dangerous for our politics because it hands far too much power to ministers to reshape our laws without parliamentary oversight.

“Businesses, workers and families have no desire for the further uncertainty that this law would create. Now more than ever, we need stability and pragmatism for our economy.

“Whatever the views people have on Brexit itself, it is utter madness to scrap vast swathes of the law in one go as a political stunt. Civil servants and ministers ought to have enough on their plate without spending their days digging through old law books to work out what should stay or go before an arbitrary deadline. Even with the best of intentions something important is bound to slip through the cracks.

“This is the last gasp of an ideologically-fixated government that knows the tide is hard against them. For the sake of businesses, workers and our future trading relations, ministers need to think again.”