Experts warn UK’s regulations now lag behind those of the EU and that Britons will be exposed to more toxic chemicals as a result.

The government is to loosen EU-derived laws on chemicals in a move experts say will increase the likelihood of toxic substances entering the environment.

EU restricts use of eight chemicals, with 16 more in pipeline; UK has two under consideration.

A plan by Boris Johnson’s government to change the regulation of chemicals after Brexit risks making the UK a “dumping ground” for harmful substances, experts and campaigners have warned.

The government is planning to water down the regulatory requirements on key chemicals, in what experts fear could be the first move to a weaker post-Brexit safety regime for potentially toxic substances.