The Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill 2022

So a new PM is inflicted upon us.

One part of this government’s growth agenda was the ditching of environmental protections¹Laville, Sandra. 2022. ‘UK Government to Scrap European Law Protecting Special Habitats’, The Guardian (The Guardian) <https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jun/30/uk-government-scrap-european-law-protecting-special-habitats> [accessed 25 October 2022].

So far there has been no indication of any reversal of this agenda with the coronation of the new PM.

On the day when fracking was being debated in Parliament ‘The Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill 2022‘ was laid in Parliament . It didn’t get much attention. Instead the media were focused on the lifting of the fracking ban.

What this bill will do is to rip up all the remaining 2000+ EU derived laws including 570 or so that are intended to protect the environment, covering water pollution, air pollution, and sewage pollution. These are the bedrock of protections in this country and will all expire by December 2023 irrespective whether they have been replaced or not. They will be ‘sunsetted‘; they will just cease to be law.

It sounds pretty staggering and completely irresponsible, and has prompted that RSPB, the National Trust, the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust and at least 75 other conservation and nature organisations to collectively write to the Prime Minister expressing their grave concerns.

So, for example, the Water Framework Directive, which directly relates to quality of rivers water quality — currently in England, Wales, no river passes the biological or chemical tests as good; they are all classed as failing under the Water Framework Directive.

And then there’s the Habitats Regulations which identifies those areas across the country providing habitats for migrating birds and places strict controls of what can and cannot happen in these zones. The Conservative government have indicated that the Habitats Regulations are very burdensome and restrictive.

Whilst I accept that it was never the intention that EU laws would be forever on our statute books, we were constantly assured that our environmental laws would continue to be protected.

I have no faith that the shear volume of EU-Derived laws can be be revised by December 2023. The deadline is totally unrealistic. Something is bound to slip through the net.

What can you do?

Write to your MP now demanding that The Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill 2022 is abandoned and that the Government sticks to its environmental promises.

By all means quote The Wildlife & Countryside Link letter but best not to cut and paste as this will only lead to a standard response.

Today’s photo is, of course, Roseberry Topping viewed from Cliff Rigg.

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  Laville, Sandra. 2022. ‘UK Government to Scrap European Law Protecting Special Habitats’, The Guardian (The Guardian) <https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jun/30/uk-government-scrap-european-law-protecting-special-habitats> [accessed 25 October 2022]