Truss promises EU ‘red tape bonfire’

LIZ Truss has vowed to review all EU laws retained after Brexit by the end of next year if she becomes prime minister, and to scrap or replace those that are deemed to hinder UK growth.

The Tory leadership hopeful “believes that a red tape bonfire will encourage business investment and boost growth”, her campaign said yesterday.

But critics warned the proposal could damage workers’ rights.

The Foreign Secretary, who voted Remain in the 2016 referendum, is pitching herself as the “best candidate to deliver on the opportunities of Brexit” in a bid to gain the votes of Conservative members required to win the race for No 10.

Ms Truss said that, if elected, she would set a “sunset” deadline for every piece of EU-derived business regulation and assess whether it stimulated domestic growth or investment by the end of 2023.

Industry experts would be tasked to create “better homegrown laws” to replace those that fail the test, if they are not ditched altogether.

Questions are likely to be raised over the feasibility of combing through more than 2,000 pieces of legislation in under a year and a half while the Civil Service faces cutbacks.

Plans set out last month by Jacob Rees-Mogg, the Cabinet Office minister responsible for ‘Brexit opportunities’, to axe all remaining EU laws by June 2026 were met with criticism for this reason.

Ms Truss said: “As prime minister I will unleash the full potential of Britain post-Brexit, and accelerate plans to get EU law off our statute books so we can boost growth and make the most of our newfound freedoms outside of the EU.

“I have proved as trade secretary and in the Foreign Office that I am the candidate who can be trusted to deliver on the promise of Brexit and make Britain a higher-growth, higher-productivity powerhouse.

“EU regulations hinder our businesses and this has to change. In Downing Street, I will seize the chance to diverge from outdated

EU law and frameworks and capitalise on the opportunities we have ahead of us.”

Frances O’Grady, general secretary of the TUC, warned that the “cynical and reckless proposals threaten hard-won workers’ rights”.

“Holiday pay, equal pay for women and men, safe limits on working hours and parental leave are just a few of the rights underpinned by retained EU law. These are all essential – not a nice-tohave,” she said. “Let’s call this out for what it is – ideological posturing at the expense of ordinary working people.”

And Catherine Barnard, deputy director of the UK in a Changing Europe think tank, warned that greater divergence from EU law would create further trade barriers.

The Truss campaign said the Equalities Act would not be included, arguing it was not EU law, though this is disputed.

Rishi Sunak has said he would appoint a Brexit minister to go through the remaining 2,400 EU laws still on the statute book if he were to defeat Ms Truss.