What, then, of the UK? Despite the UK technically being free of Brussels ‘red tape’, the EU remains its chief export market. That means British businesses have little choice but to follow new EU regulations – on packaging, due diligence, and much else – to maintain market access. And so, EU regulations become de facto UK ones.

...titanium dioxide. "Some gummy companies use it because it’s a convenient and cheap ingredient that creates a specific structure and taste, and adds this pastel coating on pills. But in 2022, the EU banned it. The UK was supposed to follow, but Brexit cancelled all those decisions.

This week has seen the UK talking up its influence in Artificial Intelligence. But it is adrift from important research on bias and other problems, while the EU’s AI Act is full steam ahead.

The UK has identified nearly 4,000 EU laws and regulations which we are now “free from”. What have we done with these newfound freedoms?

EU standards and consumer protection regulations have a habit of being enforced globally. Why is that? And is it such a bad thing?

Some international businesses adhere to EU regulation even in their operations outside Europe.

Europe delivered two groundbreaking initiatives last week to counter the global climate change crisis: a European Union climate deal, committing the EU to more than halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and reach zero net emissions by 2050; and the publication of a first-of-its-kind of regulation, the EU’s sustainable finance taxonomy...

The process of ‘sunsetting’ laws envisioned under the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill – introduced into the UK Parliament in autumn 2022 – has led to fears of significant legal uncertainty.

Could sunset on EU laws see azodicarbonimide appear in ultra-processed baked products, while other additives disappear but only from ingredients lists?

The government plans to press ahead with legislation that would repeal swathes of EU law by default. Anyone who cares about legal certainty should object

More uncertainty lies ahead for employers and employees ahead of a crucial Brexit deadline, writes KAREN HARVIE.

You can’t restrict immigration without damaging trade deals. / For years the Brexiteers have been in denial about the contradictions inherent to their project. Now they are coming out in the open.

Voters were promised better-funded public services and stronger employment rights after Brexit – Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak are now offering us the opposite, reports Adam Bienkov.

'Any economic gains are likely to be small compared to the cost of leaving the customs union and single market.'

So far, in the first two months of Brexit, the following industries have indicated that they have been harmed: Aerospace; Airlines; Architecture; Art and Antiques; Beer; Bees; Cattle and horse breeding; Charities; Cheese; Chemicals; Cars; Classic Cars; Construction; Cosmetics and Perfume; e-Commerce; Fabrics; Fashion; Ferry services; Film and TV production; Financial Services; ...

If not, and the vote is to exit, it will be no good saying afterwards that “we didn’t understand what we were voting for” – the repeated complaint made by eurosceptics about the 1975 Referendum. By then it will be too late.

On 7 October last year, there was a defining phone call between Boris Johnson and Angel Merkel.

A 19th Century trade agenda will decimate the most productive parts of the 21st Century economy.

The UK must ensure that it retains access to the Single Market, has an open trading regime and maintains a stable regulatory framework with the European Union to minimise the impact of Brexit on the North East economy. This is the key conclusion of ‘Leaving the European Union’, a report by a powerful regional economic group says today.

An EU-UK free trade agreement will result in new barriers to trade and border friction even if the UK chooses to unilaterally align itself with EU rules and regulations.