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 on Friday. 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 stimulates domestic growth or investment by the end of 2023.
Industry experts would be tasked to create “better home-grown 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.
