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Committees

Retained EU law: the progress and mechanics of reform

Inquiry

On 29 June 2023, the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Act received Royal Assent. The Act will end the special status of retained EU law (REUL) on the UK statute book and makes it easier for REUL to be amended, revoked or replaced.

The Act contains a schedule of REUL that will be automatically revoked, also at the end of 2023. Along with this schedule, the Government is undertaking a REUL reform programme. At present, there is little publicly available information on the programme and the Government’s timetable for the reform of REUL is unclear. During the passage of the Act, the Government committed to report to the Committee on a six-monthly basis on the progress it is making towards the repeal of REUL. A list of changes that have so far been made to REUL under the Act can be found on GOV.UK.

The Committee followed the passage of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 closely, which provided for the retention of EU law, and in July 2022 reported on the Government’s plans for its reform. With the 2023 Act having been on the statute book for close to six months, the Committee is considering the progress and ‘mechanics’ of REUL reform, and how reform can be achieved in a timely and efficient way.

The Act was an important first step in returning sovereignty, self-government and democracy to the UK. Questions still remain regarding Northern Ireland and the Windsor Framework, which the Committee is considering in other work. The inquiry will look at how the revocation of retained EU law is progressing in this context, and how the important features of the Act are being utilised by the Government to restore and safeguard the UK’s constitutional traditions and independence.