Critics slam UK bid for post-Brexit bonfire of EU laws

By JILL LAWLESS
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is pushing ahead with a contentious plan to remove all remaining European Union laws from Britain’s statute book by the end of the year. Critics say the move is rash and unworkable. Thousands of pieces of EU law were cut-and-pasted into U.K. legislation when Britain left the bloc in 2020 to ensure continuity for people and businesses. A bill debated Wednesday in Parliament would automatically remove them at the end of this year unless they are explicitly replaced or retained. Opponents argue that rules will be rewritten without proper parliamentary scrutiny and safeguards for workers and environmental standards could get eroded in the rush to discard EU laws.