In the United Kingdom, acts of Parliament remain in force until expressly repealed.

[1] In 1806, the Commission on Public Records passed a resolution requesting the production of a report on the best mode of reducing the volume of the statute book.

[2] In 1816, both Houses of Parliament, passed resolutions that an eminent lawyer with 20 clerks be commissioned to make a digest of the statutes, which was declared "very expedient to be done."

[2] The Board issued three reports, recommending the creation of a permanent body for statute law reform.

An alternative approach, focusing on expunging obsolete laws from the statute book, followed by consolidation, was proposed by Peter Locke King MP, who was heavily critical of the expenditure of the Commission and the lack of results.

Wood to expurgate the statute book of all acts which, though not expressly repealed, were not in force, working backwards from the present time.

[7] In his speech introducing the bill, the Lord Cranworth explained that the bill aimed to repeal outdated laws to simplify and consolidate the legal code, allowing for a more manageable and up-to-date statute book by cutting it down to one-fourth of its original size.

[9] The bill was criticised by the former Lord Chancellor, Frederic Thesiger, 1st Baron Chelmsford, who voiced concerns about the process, particularly regarding the heavy reliance on two legal experts without further scrutiny by the House and by Richard Hely-Hutchinson, 4th Earl of Donoughmore, who suggested the bill ought to be referred to a select committee.