Many constituents have written to me with deep concerns about the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill. I completely share these worries.

This Bill is a recipe for disaster. It will allow Ministers to amend or repeal all legislation carried over from our membership of the European Union – thought to consist of over 2400 pieces of law, and possibly as many as 3,800 – with nearly no parliamentary scrutiny. If the Government does not pass a replacement to any piece of legislation before the end of next year, it would expire and no longer be law in our country. I am concerned that this puts at risk hard-fought rights and protections for British workers, consumers and the environment while diminishing democratic scrutiny and accountability in key areas of British law. Businesses need regulatory certainty and we already know that chaos and uncertainty deters investment – people want to know what the rules are and how they will be applied.

This Bill will most certainly be Taking Back Control and handing it over to the executive, not to Parliament. As many of you may (unfortunately) remember, the Ready for Rishi video, that was released last August during the height of Tory madness, saw Mr Sunak promise that if elected prime minister, he would review or repeal EU laws in his first 100 days to “Keep Brexit Safe”. That’s by February 2…it’s extremely unlikely the laws will be repealed or reviewed by then (another unrealistic promise).

According to the New European, “some estimates say 20,000 civil servants could be needed to carry out the necessary painstaking reviews, and critics argue there is simply not enough time for a thorough examination of all the laws, meaning there is a risk some could be scrapped almost by accident.” The Government would also request help from legal advisors, costing even more money and time. Once again, the Government is pushing forward with unrealistic legislation that will create even more work for civil servants and in the meantime, it will leave a huge gap in legislation and protection.

I am also extremely concerned about the Bill’s impact on workers’ rights, especially for women. The charity Pregnant Then Screwed has said that the Bill is a “reversal in women’s rights” – I completely agree.  I believe this Bill represents a reckless approach to our legislation and will create even more deregulation. The laws at risk are not cumbersome red tape but rights and protections British people rightly expect.

Of course, we do need to establish the future status of laws carried over from out time in the European Union, but I fundamentally disagree with the Government’s approach to doing this, seeking to give itself the power to sweep away key areas of law, of great importance to people across the country, with no scrutiny, no say and no certainty over their replacements. Instead, the Government should bring forward a positive set of proposals about where the law needs to change or whether something can be done better and allow MPs the time and power to scrutinise those proposals on behalf of our constituents. That’s why my Labour colleagues and I will vote against any Bill that will scrap our laws without proper scrutiny or democratic process.