Brexit betrayal as Tories to scrap just one in five of the EU laws they pledged for the bonfire
Kemi Badenoch delivering news of backtrack on the PM's January pledges
PA
Kemi Badenoch told Tory Eurosceptic MPs on Monday that just 20 per cent of the EU laws the Prime Minister pledged to scrap by the end of the year will make it onto the Brexit Bonfire.
Delivering news of the backtrack to the European Research Group (ERG), the Trade Secretary recalled civil servants telling her it would be impossible to remove all the redundant 4,000 EU laws, and that the vast majority of these laws sit in the environment department.
Rishi Sunak previously backed the Retained EU Law Bill in January, which is set to strip away 4,000 EU laws worth of red tape, but some Tories fear the Bill is being watered down before it returns to the House of Lords on May 15.
An ERG source told GB News: “After the No10 games over the Windsor Framework, this just rubs further salt in the wounds.
One Tory MP said: “Kemi is proving to be a huge disappointment.”
PA
“As more days go by, it is clear who is running the show. When will those who truly want us to prosper outside the EU stand up to this ongoing betrayal?
“It sadly seems like the PM’s pledges are becoming increasingly meaningless.”
Several Conservative MPs are infuriated at the apparent surrender to the civil service and hollowing out of legislation, and see it as another betrayal following No10’s new agreement with the EU on Northern Ireland trade rules.
One Tory MP told the Telegraph: “She wants to persuade Rishi to reverse and keep the vast bulk of EU law.”Another MP added: “You need a tough minister but she is a lame minister who is having rings run around her by ‘Remainer’ officials.
“We needed a tough minister. Kemi is proving to be a huge disappointment.”
A Government spokesperson from the Department for Business and Trade told GB News: “Planning for concessions is standard practice for any Bill at this stage of parliamentary passage.
“We remain committed to ensuring the Retained EU Law (REUL) Bill receives Royal Assent and that unnecessary and burdensome EU laws are removed by the end of this year.
The Retained EU Law Bill is due to return to the Lords n May 15
PA
“Once passed, the Bill will enable the country to further seize the opportunities of Brexit by ensuring regulations fit the needs of the UK, helping to drive economic growth and innovation.”
In January, the Prime Minister said that scrapping EU laws “could be a collective effort across Cabinet that had the potential to drive growth and improve people’s everyday lives”, according to a readout circulated by Downing Street.
Sunak is still embroiled in a dispute with Brexiteer Tory MPs over the status of the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, which is currently in the House of Lords.
While Brexiteers claim Sunak suggested he would proceed with the Bill, the Prime Minister unveiled the Windsor Framework papers that propose an alternative means of resolving the power-sharing impasse in Northern Ireland.
Jacob Rees-Mogg voted against the Windsor Framework and explained why on GB News.