The Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill received its third reading and was voted through the House of Commons last night by 297 to 239. It was unamended as far as I can see, even the sunset clause went through meaning all EU-derived law is automatically scrapped on December 31 this year. I didn't watch the debate, but it's a measure of just how stupid our MPs - all Tory I think - have become. I confidently forecast it will never happen. The Bill now goes to the House of Lords where it will be decimated.
You can read the whole debate HERE.
The best contribution came from Hilary Benn (Leeds Central) who I thought summed it up well:
"The fundamental problem, as we have heard, is that the Government still do not seem to know what it is that they want to do. Here we are, six-and-a-half years after the referendum, and they cannot tell us precisely what they want to scrap, what they want to amend, and what they want to save. They cannot tell us. For my sins, I read the Hansard of the Committee and found that, despite being asked that question many times, the Minister could not or would not provide an answer. As yet, I describe this as a process without a purpose. In the meantime, as we have also heard, Ministers have created huge uncertainty for business."
We are talking about 4,000 or more EU laws. The government doesn't know the exact total, which is amazing. But more than that as Benn explained after 7 years, - SEVEN YEARS - this government of Brexiteers can't tell us which of those EU laws they want to scrap or amend.
You can find all the debates which took place at committee stage in one long PDF document HERE. This is what Hilary Benn was referring to I think.
The minister who has been taking it through - after Rees-Mogg was sacked - is Nusrat Ghani MP, Minister of State for Industry and Investment Security. She would be out of her depth in a puddle.
What we're talking about here is the backbone of our employment, consumer, and environmental protection laws going back 40 years. The government doesn't know:
- How many exactly (4000 or so at least)
- Which they would like to be repealed or amended
- How much effort is needed to do the work
- Why the task is so urgent
Sir Bob Neil said the Law Society had described the Bill as having a “devastating impact” on legal certainty and business confidence. Rees-Mogg denied this and claimed "The Bill is providing legal certainty. Rather than having a flow of EU law interpreted according to EU principles, from now on we will have a single set of laws within this country. That must be certainty rather than otherwise."
He can't even tell us with certainty how many retained EU laws there are or which ones need scrapping and why. The country is going to the dogs because we no longer rely on experts but defer to idiots like JRM.
Bear in mind hardly anyone in British industry wants the Bill anyway. The vast majority are pleading with ministers NOT to scrap EU laws. They WANT alignment. Someone asked whose rules do we intend to align with if not those of the giant trading bloc on our very own doorstep? The US? China?
If we create specific rules for the UK, this is simply burdening our exporters with two sets of rules and a smaller domestic market. Setting rules for yourself may seem fine in theory but why do it when they are likely to be more or less identical to EU rules but sufficiently different to require separate certification. If all EU 27 did the same we would soon be back to 1955 with a massive loss of trade. Thankfully, they are not as stupid as we are.
I see James Dyson writes in The Telegraph that "Stupid, short-sighted Tory policies are holding back the economy" - he isn't talking about the REUL Bill but rather the lack of it and the failure of the government to get rid of "suffocating regulation" although once again, he has nothing specific to complain about.
I honestly think Brexiteers have marched themselves up the hill and will soon have to march down again having achieved nothing. There is no great mass of hated, cumbersome, needless, expensive EU laws, and there never was.
As an aside, I went to see a musical, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at the Leeds Playhouse, the other day and one of the songs - sung just before the five lucky golden ticket holders enter Wonka's totally surreal factory - is You have to believe it to see it.
Surely, this is Brexit's own song? How apt.
