/Brexit news – live: PM says UK must end ‘restrictive regulation’ as farmers’ criticise Australia trade deal

Brexit news – live: PM says UK must end ‘restrictive regulation’ as farmers’ criticise Australia trade deal

<p>Boris Johnson is looking ahead to a life outside the EU for the UK</p>

Boris Johnson is looking ahead to a life outside the EU for the UK

(EPA)

Boris Johnson has said that a future path must be cleared through a “thicket of burdensome and restrictive regulation” to fulfil the UK’s potential outside the EU.

The prime minister welcomed a report from a taskforce of senior Tory MPs setting out their ideas for taking advantage of life outside the European bloc.

Mr Johnson pledged to give the “detailed consideration it deserves” to the document from the taskforce led by Brexiteer Sir Iain Duncan Smith, a former Tory leader.

It comes as farmers have raised “deep concerns” over a free trade deal Mr Johnson has agreed with Australia that they fear undercut them with cut-price imports, and have also raised concerns about animal welfare.

NFU Scotland bemoaned a lack of consultation about the accord and said it could give Australia “unfettered access” to UK markets.

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PM seeks path through ‘restrictive regulation’ as he plots UK’s Brexit future

Boris Johnson has said that a path through the “thicket of burdensome and restrictive regulation” must be cleared to fulfil the potentials of Brexit.

The Prime Minister welcomed a report from a taskforce of senior Conservative MPs setting out their ideas for taking advantage of life outside the European Union’s regulations.

Mr Johnson pledged to give the “detailed consideration it deserves” to the document from the taskforce led by Brexiteer Sir Iain Duncan Smith, a former Tory leader.

The Taskforce on Innovation, Growth and Regulatory Reform (TIGRR) set out more than 100 recommendations including to cover a new regulatory framework and reforms for high-growth sectors.

In a letter to the taskforce, the Prime Minister thanked them for the “substantive plans that will really put a TIGRR in the tank of British business”.

Sir Iain, former environment secretary Theresa Villiers and ex-minister George Freeman were tasked earlier this year with reshaping regulation and seizing opportunities borne from Brexit.

Their proposals include replacing General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) with a UK Data Protections Framework.

They further recommend allowing pension schemes to invest in start-ups and building a new UK clinical trials network building on the success of the coronavirus vaccine development.

Joe Middleton16 June 2021 08:30

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Nick Watt: Man charged after BBC journalist chased by anti-lockdown protesters

A man has been charged after a BBC journalist was chased by anti-lockdown protesters in Westminster.

Video footage showed Newsnight’s political editor Nicholas Watt being pursued by protesters from Whitehall into Richmond Terrace on Monday afternoon.

Chiara Giordano has the latest on this breaking story

Joe Middleton16 June 2021 08:18

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Tariffs axed immediately on Australian beef and lamb, triggering fears that farmers will be sent ‘to the wall’

Tariffs will be scrapped immediately on imported beef and lamb from Australia, triggering accusations that the trade deal struck by Boris Johnson will send UK farmers “to the wall”.

The small print of the first major post-Brexit agreement – revealed by Canberra, as the UK government tried to keep it under wraps – revealed a pledge to protect farmers for 15 years has been dropped.

Instead, Australian farmers will effectively be handed tariff-free access from day one, up to a “cap” on sales that is 60 times the current level of imported beef, writes The Independent’s deputy political editor Rob Merrick.

Joe Middleton16 June 2021 08:10

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Morning!

Hello and welcome to The Independent’s live blog bringing you the latest news and analysis straight from Westminster.

Joe Middleton16 June 2021 08:06