Labour is quietly pushing through the surreptitiously-named ‘Product Regulation and Metrology Bill’ – a framework bill light on detail but heavy on sweeping ministerial powers – that’s now at its report stage in the Lords. And opens the door for the UK to be swept back into EU standards and regulations…
The bill would allow the UK to align unilaterally with EU rules on product safety and environmental standards, bypassing Parliament through statutory instruments rather than primary legislation, meaning MPs won’t get a proper say, and won’t be able to amend or scrutinise any product regulations adopted. The bill is just 12 pages long, compared to the 191-page Employment Rights Bill…
Shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith told Guido:
“This is a Trojan Horse EU Surrender Bill, giving Ministers unchecked power to drag us back into the European Union. This Government seems to be determined to give away our sovereignty in what is turning into an unashamedly anti-British tirade.”
The bill even includes a clause that could scrap the pint in favour of smaller glasses to align with EU-style metric measures. Starmer continues on his path to bring the UK back to Brussels…
Speaking on Times Radio, former Home Secretary David Blunkett spoke about overdiagnosis of mental problems:
“Let’s distinguish those who are really severely mentally ill, diagnosed with things that require prolonged medical and diagnostic treatment. My wife and I talk about this a lot, because she’s a retired GP, about the fact that you can be sad without being ill. You can be momentarily depressed because your boyfriend or girlfriend’s just thrown you and you’re not mentally ill. You can even have mild issues, which can be dealt with with the right kind of support, but it doesn’t make you mentally ill. So we’ve got a real task, I think, to get the psychology, if you like, of this over. But there are things where you definitely need medical intervention, and there are other things where you need good friends, you need good connectivity, and you need a job.”