The U.K. government is preparing a bill that would provide a legal framework for “re-tuning” relations between London and Brussels and allow for broad alignment of British regulations with those of the European Union, according to Politico, as cited by Mandiner.
A British government official has been quoted as saying that the legislation is expected to be introduced in parliament in the spring or summer. The draft bill would give the government and regional governments with partial autonomy broad powers to automatically transpose new EU rules into British law in specific areas.
These may include food safety regulations, animal welfare regulations, the use of pesticides, the EU electricity market, and carbon emission quota trading
The system would, in principle, preserve London’s veto power in certain specific cases, but the government emphasizes that the details are still being worked out.
The legislation would create the legal basis for a post-Brexit “reset agreement” that the British government is currently negotiating with the EU. The package would include the reintegration of electricity markets, an agri-food agreement, and linking of emissions trading systems.
EU Affairs Secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds previously promised that parliament would have a say in the adoption of new EU rules and that the UK wanted to retain a “formative role” in EU decision-making.
According to a statement from the British government, the restructuring of relations with the EU could increase the performance of the British economy by around £9 billion by 2040.
