140 EU environment regulations already scrapped, Coffey admits

The government has already removed 140 EU environment regulations since Brexit, Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey told a committee yesterday.  

Coffey said the government was focused on reducing ‘bureaucracy’, with plans to scrap even more regulations in the coming months. 

The government is currently deciding which EU laws to get rid of as part of the Retained EU Law (REUL) Bill, which is due to be finalised next year, with regulations automatically discarded by the end of 2023 if government departments don’t declare the need to keep them.  

Coffey said regulations which the UK had previously opposed but were outvoted on would be the prime targets to be overturned.  

Multiple businesses, charities and wildlife organisations have criticised the Bill and called for it to be withdrawn, as it puts nature protections at risk.  

54 environmental organisations signed a letter to Jacob Rees-Mogg when he was briefly the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy expressing concerns over the REUL Bill.  

The group said they were worried that ‘thousands of pieces of vital legislation could face repeal by the end of December 2023, not because they are “bad” but solely because they are derived from the EU.  This makes no sense, regardless of how people voted on Brexit.’  

Environmentalists say environmental laws, such as the Habitat Regulations, protect wildlife and ensure clean water and air to keep people healthy. They also provide guidelines for businesses on how they can make good investments and environmental decisions.  

‘The problem with the REUL is that, no matter what verbal assurances we receive from government, it will give ministers sweeping powers to review, reform and revoke laws,’ wrote Joan Edwards, Director of Policy and Public Affairs at The Wildlife Trusts, in a blog post. ‘This process will remove democracy from the legislative process, allowing ministers to decide whether to scrap or save legislation behind closed doors, with no scrutiny from Parliament.’  

At Prime Minister’s Questions yesterday, Rishi Sunak said the bill was about ‘actually taking advantage of our freedoms’ and would drive growth.  

However, the bill remains highly contentious, with Scottish and Welsh ministers opposing the ‘misguided’ bill in a letter to the Financial Times.  

Several organisations across a broad range of sectors have also written to Sunak urging him to drop the legislation, including the Institute of Directors and the Trades Union Congress. They say REUL could ‘cause significant confusion and disruption’.  

Photo by Vincent van Zalinge