The Blanket Repeal Bill

How can a new government undo Labour’s mistakes? It should simply repeal everything, says Matthew Parris

And finally, we shall in our first Queen’s Speech be introducing a measure whose like has never been seen among the manifesto commitments of an incoming government. It will be known as the Blanket Repeal of Legislation (Failure of New Labour, 1997-2010) Bill.

The effect of the Act will be to repeal en masse and at a stroke all new legislation brought in since the fall of the Conservative government in 1997. The only exceptions will be those measures which, by affirmative resolution of both Houses, parliament votes to rescue.

There will therefore arise – with regard to any law brought in under Tony Blair or Gordon Brown – a presumptive demise, unless in the case of any particular item the new parliament specifically and by name votes to override the presumption, and keep the nominated law. In other words, legislative nettles will be removed by applying a general herbicide to the entire landscape, 1997-2010, protecting from the spray-gun only those plants which parliament positively chooses not to kill.

To repeal whole swaths of needless, pointless or positively dangerous new laws made over the last 13 years, there will be no need for legislators to lift a finger – or even to turn their attention more than momentarily to any individual measure. It will be for those who want to keep a law to remember its existence, and argue for it.

The fox-hunting ban, ASBOs, hate-speech crimes, sloppily drafted anti-terrorist legislation used to terrorise camcording tourists in Trafalgar Square, paving legislation for identity cards – all will fall automatically, unless a majority can be found in the Commons and Lords to spare them the axe.