Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Act 2023

{{Short description|United Kingdom legislation}}

{{Update|date=June 2023}}

{{Infobox UK legislation

| short_title = Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Act 2023

| type = Act

| parliament = Parliament of the United Kingdom

| long_title = An Act to revoke certain retained EU law; to make provision relating to the interpretation of retained EU law and to its relationship with other law; to make provision relating to powers to modify retained EU law; to enable the restatement, replacement or updating of certain retained EU law; to enable the updating of restatements and replacement provision; to abolish the business impact target; and for connected purposes.

| year = 2023

| citation = 2023 c. 28

| introduced_commons = Jacob Rees-Mogg, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

| introduced_lords = Baron Callanan, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Corporate Responsibility

| territorial_extent = {{ubli|England and Wales|Scotland|Northern Ireland}}

| royal_assent = 29 June 2023

| commencement = 29 June 2023

| expiry_date =

| repeal_date =

| amends =

| replaces =

| amendments =

| repealing_legislation =

| related_legislation =

| status = current

| legislation_history = https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3340/stages

| theyworkforyou =

| millbankhansard = Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill

| original_text = https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/28/enacted

| revised_text =

| use_new_UK-LEG = yes

| UK-LEG_title =

| collapsed =

}}

The Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Act 2023 (c. 28) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom to revoke certain legislation implementing European Union law in the UK (retained EU law), following the UK's exit from the European Union.{{Cite web |title=Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill |url=https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3340 |access-date=2023-04-09 |website=UK Parliament}}

Originally promoted by the government as the "Brexit Freedoms Bill" and introduced in Parliament in 2022,{{Cite web |title=The Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill 2022 |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/the-retained-eu-law-revocation-and-reform-bill-2022 |access-date=2023-04-09 |website=GOV.UK |language=en}} the bill ran into significant opposition from many sources. In late April 2023, the Secretary of State for Business and Trade Kemi Badenoch announced that the government was planning to reduce the number of laws to be repealed by 31 December 2023 to around 800, as opposed to the government's original target of around 4,000 laws.{{Cite news |last=Hope |first=Christopher |date=2023-04-27 |title=Tories to leave thousands of EU laws intact in latest Brexit betrayal |language=en-GB |work=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2023/04/27/tories-scrap-one-in-five-redundant-eu-laws-brexit-betrayal/ |access-date=2023-04-30 |issn=0307-1235}}{{Cite news |last=O'Carroll |first=Lisa |date=2023-04-28 |title=Bonfire of EU laws watered down to just 800 after meeting of Brexiter MPs |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/apr/28/bonfire-of-eu-laws-watered-down-to-just-800-after-meeting-of-brexit-mps |access-date=2023-04-30 |issn=0261-3077}} Such reversal was met with dismay by Brexit advocates, including the Bill's original architect Jacob Rees-Mogg.{{Cite news |last=Rees-Mogg |first=Jacob |date=2023-01-07 |title=Brexit is being surrendered to the declinist Europhile establishment |language=en-GB |work=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/01/06/brexit-surrendered-declinist-europhile-establishment/ |access-date=2023-04-30 |issn=0307-1235}} In May 2023, the Bill suffered further reverses as the House of Lords rejected a number of aspects of the proposed legislation.{{Cite news |date=2023-05-15 |title=Brexit: Government suffers defeats over Retained EU Law Bill |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-65605035 |access-date=2023-05-16}} On 29 June 2023, the bill received royal assent.{{cite web |title=The Brexit Freedoms Bill touchpaper is lit |url=https://www.shoosmiths.com/insights/articles/the-brexit-freedoms-bill-touchpaper-is-lit |website=Shoosmiths |access-date=2 July 2023}} The act took effect on the 1st January 2024, as a result retained EU law supremacy has ended within the UK, and retained laws no longer need to be interpreted in line with EU law principles.{{Cite web|url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2023/1363/made/data.xht?view=snippet&wrap=true|title=Retained EU Law Reform: 12 December 2023|website=GOV.UK}}