British government fails to meet its Brexit target

UK Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch

The 43-year-old Tory politician is under pressure from Eurosceptics in her party.

(Photo: Reuters)

London The British government wanted to free itself from all legal “shackles” – laws – from EU membership by the end of 2023. Apparently nothing will come of this “Brexit purgatory”, as the British Tories call the process. Business Minister Kemi Badenoch has reportedly conceded to Eurosceptic MPs from her Conservative Party that replacing nearly 4,000 EU laws, rules and standards with new UK regulations by then would be virtually impossible. This became known in London from party circles. The daily newspaper “The Telegraph” had first reported on the turnaround.

The admission is likely to drive the hard Brexit advocates in the Tories to the barricades again. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had promised them in January that if necessary they would scrap the remainder of EU membership by the end of the year without replacement in order to collect a so-called “Brexit dividend”.

So far, the government has only achieved 18 percent of the planned changes in laws and regulations. Most of this concerns agriculture, but there have also been changes in the areas of transport, the environment and labor law.

On the other hand, government officials and business representatives are relieved to react to the news: the officials had warned that the state apparatus would be overwhelmed by what they considered to be an unrealistic timetable.

Companies and trade unions fear a phase of uncertainty should existing EU rules simply expire. “The speed with which the government intends to review retained EU law is a recipe for bad regulation,” the British Law Society recently criticized. The UK Chamber of Commerce had called for an extension to 2026.

According to reports, the government in London is now only planning to replace around 800 EU rules by the end of 2023. After that, the remaining legacy from EU membership is to be processed. However, Brexit advocates fear that this may never happen again.

Tories want to free themselves from “EU shackles”.

If the opposition Labor Party wins the parliamentary elections that are likely to be held next year, Brexiteers fear that it could politically bury the project. The so-called “Retained EU Law” regulation, with which London wants to complete the clean-up, is likely to meet with considerable resistance in the British House of Lords.

UK and EU flags

According to reports, the government in London is now only planning to replace around 800 EU rules by the end of 2023.

(Photo: dpa)

Headwind is also coming from Scotland: “The British government’s draft law to abolish EU law could drastically reduce the high standards and important protection for the food industry,” warned the regional government there.

Employee representatives have pointed out possible dangers in the workplace that could result from the deletion of EU safety directives without replacement. Paul Nowak, general secretary of the TUC, called the legislation “ruthless”. The project could be a disaster for the safety of workers. Ministers must back down and withdraw the law before it is too late, he recently added.

>> Read here: London heading for new conflict with Brussels – one comment

London, on the other hand, wants to stick to the project in principle. “We remain committed to ensuring that the law abolishing EU law receives royal assent and that the supremacy of EU law is ended by the abolition of unnecessary and burdensome EU laws by the end of this year,” he said Government spokesman quoted in UK media.

For Economics Minister Badenoch, the failure of the schedule is also a personal defeat. The 43-year-old Tory politician belonged to the right wing of her party and is herself a staunch supporter of Brexit. She is also seen as a possible candidate for party leadership should the Conservatives lose the general election and Sunak step down as prime minister and party leader.

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