On 2 September 2020 the second reading of the Medicines and Medical Devices Bill took place in the House of Lords, having already cleared the House of Commons. Lord Blencathra (Conservative), speaking in his capacity as the chair of the Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee, offered his opinion describing the Bill as containing “inappropriate delegations of power” and attacking such powers under the Bill as “absolutely atrocious and an affront to parliamentary democracy”.

With few parliamentary steps remaining, these are significant concerns being raised late in the legislative process.

The next step, the House of Lords Committee stage involving a line by line examination of the Bill, is yet to be scheduled.