The United Kingdom's government has decided to shelve the plans to remove all European Union legislation from the country by the end of 2023 following its exit from the bloc in 2016, Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch told the House of Commons on Wednesday via a written statement.
The government thus seemingly abandoned the proposed Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill (REUL), which was introduced to the Commons by then-Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg during Liz Truss's tenure as prime minister.
"However, with the growing volume of REUL being identified, and the risks of legal uncertainty posed by sunsetting instruments made under EU law, it has become clear that the program was becoming more about reducing legal risk by preserving EU laws than prioritizing meaningful reform," Badenoch stated, proposing "a new approach: one that will ensure ministers and officials can focus more on reforming REUL, and doing that faster."