Stories

Mon, 13 Apr 2026

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 UK could adopt EU single market rules under new legislation

The move has raised questions over parliamentary scrutiny of future rules to deliver planned EU deals.

* Sir Keir Starmer's Labour plans to introduce legislation allowing the UK to adopt new EU laws without a full parliamentary vote.
* The government claims this will "dynamically" align with future EU rules, but opposition parties argue it will reduce Parliament's role and lead to "backdoor EU control".
* The new powers would apply to agreements on food standards, carbon pricing, and electricity trading, which would be introduced as "secondary" legislation.
* The move has been criticized by Conservative shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage.
* Labour abolished a dedicated Commons committee for assessing new EU legislation, raising questions about scrutiny of future European rules.
* The government says the process will allow it to deliver an estimated £billions in economic benefits from a planned EU deal on food standards.
* Sir Keir Starmer argues that a closer relationship with Europe is necessary due to "massive conflict" and "great uncertainty".
* The UK is planning to dynamically align with EU rules in areas such as food flavourings, animal health, and organic pet food labelling.