Samuel Willis Published: 24th October 2022 As it stands, large swathes of currently unidentified retained EU law will disappear at the end of 2023 unless specifically saved by a minister. Our second reading briefing sets out why we consider this constitutionally inappropriate and potentially deeply harmful. Read the full briefing The Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill’s complex and opaque provisions present a number of risks to key rights and the role of Parliament. Specifically, they will: Undermine parliamentary sovereignty by transferring vast legislative powers to ministers Significantly reduce the role of parliamentary oversight; Place vitally important and valued rights on a cliff-edge, as they risk being overlooked or falling foul of the tight deadlines set by the Bill; Create large quantities of otherwise unnecessary work for UK ministers, devolved ministers, and civil servants, without a clear case for why this should be prioritised over other pressing issues; Create considerable legal uncertainty, which will put individuals’ rights at risk and make it more difficult to enforce those rights. As such, we are urging the following recommendations: The Bill should not transfer broad and unconstrained legislative powers to ministers. The clauses that would transfer such powers should be removed or made much more narrow; The Bill should include provision for meaningful consultation and debate proposed exercises of ministerial powers; The Bill should limit the power of UK ministers to legislate in areas of devolved competence without the consent of devolved authorities (e.g. the creation of a consent mechanism); The Bill should not allow EU-derived legislation that is equivalent to acts of Parliament in substantive content and importance – such as GDPR – to be amended as if it were a statutory instrument. Read the full briefing You might be interested in… Data law for public lawyers / public law for data lawyers online ticket Data law for public lawyers, public law for data lawyers