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Officials are said to have uncovered a further 1,400 pieces of EU law which the government hoped to scrap by the end of next year under Brexit legislation tabled by Jacob Rees-Mogg. It marks another blow to Brussels’ planned “firestorm” of regulations, after it was admitted that an existing dashboard of around 2,400 EU laws was “incomplete”. The 1,400 “long-forgotten” retained laws were found by researchers at the National Archives, according to the Financial Times – making the plan to remove EU rules from the statute books more difficult. Mr Rees-Mogg, the former business secretary, had tabled the retained EU bill to switch off Brussels rules by the end of 2023 in a bid to seize “Brexit opportunities”. However, the timetable appears to be in doubt as Rishi Sunak has abandoned his own promise to complete the review of leaving the retained EU law within 100 days. Lawyers, business leaders and union bosses have warned of “chaos” in the rush to repeal thousands of pieces of legislation, warning it could put jobs and environmental protection at risk. The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has also previously warned against “liberation for its own sake”, saying it could cause even more post-Brexit friction for businesses. Jonathan Jones QC – a former top government legal adviser – told the Independent that the rush was “dangerous” because it would be impossible for MPs and the industries involved to scrutinize every change. Mr Rees-Mogg’s proposed legislation would allow ministers to ask for the sunset clause on repealing or replacing EU laws to be postponed until 2026. And Grant Shapps, his successor at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), is said to want to slow the process after warning it could require hundreds of extra staff. Tory junior minister Dean Russell said 77 full-time staff at BEIS were working on the bill following questions from Labor MP Stella Creasy about the civil service capacity. He also admitted that the government’s dashboard for EU-retained legislation was not “comprehensive”. The additional 1,400 EU laws not previously on the dashboard were identified by the National Archives, it is understood – but have not yet been verified. The government said the list of retained EU laws was “ongoing” and would be “improved over time” as most retained legislation is “repealed, replaced or specified”. A government spokesman said: “The government is committed to reaping the full benefits of Brexit, which is why we are moving forward with the EU Retained Law Bill, which will end the special legal status of all retained EU law and allow us to ensure that our laws and regulations best meet the needs of the country.”
