The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) has welcomed the UK Government’s U-turn on plans to revoke thousands of EU laws by the end of the year.

The Government confirmed on Wednesday that it would amend the Retained EU Law Bill, removing a clause that would see any retained EU law that hadn’t already been repealed, or replaced, fall off the statute book after 31st December 2023. 

The move was formally confirmed by the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Kemi Badenoch MP, after it was made clear that the Government faced a major rebellion in the House of Lords, where the Bill is due to be debated next week. 

CIEH said it has always acknowledged the need to review EU derived regulations to ensure they are fit for purpose and tailored to the needs of the country. However, the organisation has consistently opposed the Government’s plans to arbitrarily revoke retained EU law that hadn’t been scrutinised by the end of the year and in a statement said that such an approach would have resulted in an unnecessary haste to the legislative review process affecting thousands of complex and overlapping regulations. 

The CIEH added that it has played a direct role in the Government’s U-turn by working closely with a coalition of Peers in the House of Lords, helping with the drafting of several amendments to the Bill. The Lords has put forward some of the fiercest political opposition, which in large part has prompted the dramatic climbdown.

Dr Phil James, Chief Executive Officer at CIEH, said: “We are delighted the Government has finally listened to reason and has ditched its plans to arbitrarily revoke thousands of pieces of retained EU law by the end of the year. Placing such a comprehensive legislative review, some 4,000 plus pieces of EU derived regulations, on a timer was never going to be achievable and we are glad the Government has seen sense on this at long last.”

He added: “We are proud of the role the CIEH has played in forcing this U-turn, demonstrating what can be achieved when we harness the passion and expertise of our membership community to achieve policy change at the heart of Government.”

Louise Hosking, Executive Director of Environmental Health at the CIEH, added: “We welcome the Government’s change of direction. However, work remains to be done in ensuring our high regulatory standards are protected.

“While we welcome this decision to remove the arbitrary sunset date, this is merely one clause in a wide-ranging Bill. The Bill still aims to review, repeal, or replace thousands of pieces of retained EU law, without any meaningful public consultation or parliamentary oversight. We urge the Government to ensure that in reviewing retained EU law, they engage constructively with the CIEH, our members, as well as the wider public in this process. 

“Our regulatory standards are vital for protecting public health, and we at CIEH want to ensure these are maintained and, where possible, enhanced further.”