Unpicking the Retained EU Law Bill: What does it mean for Parliament?

Events / Webinars

Unpicking the Retained EU Law Bill: What does it mean for Parliament?

12 Oct 2022

In this webinar, leading parliamentary and legal experts unpicked the detail surrounding the delegated powers and scrutiny procedures laid out in the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill, and explained what it all means for Parliament.

[CLOSED] 12:30pm, 12 October 2022 Online (webinar)

Watch in full

Read our briefing, Five problems with the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill

Unpicking the Retained EU Law Bill: What does it mean for Parliament?

About this event

The Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill, which was introduced to Parliament on 22 September 2022, is a key plank of the Government's post-Brexit agenda and affects vast swathes of the statute book, as well as the relationship between Government and Parliament.

The Bill offers broad new powers to Ministers, including the ability to revoke and replace Retained EU Law (REUL) with 'alternative provision' they consider 'appropriate'. It reduces parliamentary oversight in some areas by expanding the scope of existing powers, while also providing for enhanced parliamentary scrutiny procedures in others.

In this webinar, leading parliamentary and legal experts unpicked the detail surrounding the Bill's delegated powers and explained what it all means for Parliament and the scrutiny of regulations.

Speakers

Lord Anderson of Ipswich KBE KC / @bricksilk Cross-bench Peer and barrister

Sir Jonathan Jones KC / @SirJJKC Senior Consultant, Linklaters, and former Head of the Government Legal Department

Dr Ruth Fox / @RuthFox01 Director, Hansard Society

Chair: Dr Brigid Fowler / @Brigid_Fowler Senior Researcher, Hansard Society

Who funds this work?

This work is supported by the Legal Education Foundation as part of the Hansard Society's Delegated Legislation Review.

Latest / Highlights

News / Parliament Matters Bulletin: What’s coming up in Parliament this week? 15-18 December 2025

The Prime Minister will appear before the Liaison Committee to answer questions on standards in public life and progress on the Government’s Plan for Change. Senior ministers including the Defence Secretary, the Lord Chancellor, and the Science and Environment Secretaries will face MPs’ questions. David Lammy and Darren Jones will appear before Select Committees. Both Houses will continue ping-pong on the Employment Rights Bill, while MPs debate Budget measures in the Finance (No. 2) Bill and the National Insurance Contributions (Employer Pensions Contributions) Bill. Peers will scrutinise the Crime and Policing, Pension Schemes, and Victims and Courts bills and establish a new Lords Reform select committee.

News / Where are the Reform UK peers? - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 119

This week we examine a closely fought Commons vote on a Liberal Democrat Ten Minute Rule Bill on the EU Customs Union, explaining why the apparent win has little practical impact. We also explore the latest House of Lords appointments, questioning the absence of Reform UK and the consequences of peerage changes for scrutiny. We also cover the forthcoming Lord Speaker election and the limitations of parliamentary scrutiny of international treaties, highlighted in an interview with Lord Goldsmith. The episode concludes with an update on the slow progress of the Assisted Dying Bill and the potential reputational risks for the Lords.

News / 2024: The year our party system finally broke? - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 118

This week we spotlight our new book Britain Votes 2024, featuring research by leading political scientists such as public opinion expert Professor Sir John Curtice. We explore how Labour secured a landslide on just a third of the vote, why the election broke so many records, and what these reveal about the fragility of UK democracy. We also cover the Budget fallout, the role of the Treasury Committee in the appointment of the new head of the OBR, more backbench dissent, ex-MPs shifting to the Greens and Reform, and a brewing row over delayed mayoral elections.

News / 101 resolutions and a Finance Bill. How the Budget becomes law - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 117

It’s Budget week, so we look at what happens after the Chancellor sits down and how the days announcements are converted into the Finance Bill. We speak to Lord Ricketts, Chair of the European Affairs Committee, about whether Parliament is prepared to scrutinise the “dynamic alignment” with EU laws that may emerge from the Government’s reset with Brussels. And we explore the latest twists in the assisted dying bill story, where a marathon battle is looming in the New Year after the Government allocated 10 additional Friday sittings for its scrutiny. Please help us by completing our Listener Survey. It will only take a few minutes.

News / Is the House of Lords going slow on the assisted dying bill? - Parliament Matters podcast, Episode 116

In this episode we look at the latest Covid Inquiry report addressing the lack of parliamentary scrutiny during the pandemic and the need for a better system for emergency law-making. With the Budget approaching, we explore how the Commons Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP, might discipline ministers who announce policies outside Parliament and why a little-known motion could restrict debate on the Finance Bill. Sir David Beamish assesses whether the flood of amendments to the assisted dying bill risks a filibuster and raises constitutional questions. Finally, we hear from Marsha de Cordova MP and Sandro Gozi MEP on their work to reset UK–EU relations through the Parliamentary Partnership Assembly. Please help us by completing our Listener Survey. It will only take a few minutes.