Amendments to REUL Bill are to be welcomed

The Institute of Directors has today welcomed the government’s announcement that it is amending the Retained EU Law Bill in order to provide business with more certainty. The government intends to be clearer about which laws which will be revoked at the end of this year.

Commenting on the proposed changes, Dr. Roger Barker, Director of Policy at the Institute of Directors, said:

“The government is right to re-think the Retained EU Law Bill. The IoD has been a strong business voice arguing that the speed at which government intends to review retained EU law is a recipe for bad law-making. As currently drafted, the REUL Bill gives rise to a level of regulatory uncertainty which is unhelpful for business. Just a week ago, we published data that showed that a half of IoD members would prefer the government to leave the existing regulatory framework unchanged. Hence, we welcome the news that government is planning to amend its approach.

“A more focused and depoliticised process, which makes clear which rules and regulations are being changed, would be welcomed by business. It will be also important to ensure that any proposed changes are subject to appropriate consultation with relevant stakeholders, including the business community.”

In November last year, the Institute of Directors stated that the Bill risked “creating a bureaucratic nightmare for both business and the civil service” (14 Nov 2022).

Also in November, alongside a dozen other organisations including the TUC and CIPD, the Institute of Directors wrote to Business Secretary Grant Shapps calling for the withdrawal of the Bill (24 Nov 2022).

Citing member survey data from April showing that nearly half of business leaders would prefer regulatory stability rather than a bonfire of EU-retained law, the Institute once again called for the Bill to be dropped (3 May 2023).