Reforming the framework for better regulation

Our exit from the EU provides us with the opportunity to think boldly about how we regulate and for the first time in a generation, we have the freedom to conceive and implement rules that put the UK first. We will use this freedom to unlock cutting-edge technologies, unleash innovation, and propel start-up growth, levelling up every corner of the UK. This will be a crucial part of boosting our productivity and helping us bring the benefits of growth to the whole of our country.

In seizing this opportunity, this consultation seeks feedback from interested parties on how we can reform the UK framework for better regulation.

The consultation sets out 5 principles that will underpin the government’s approach to regulation to ensure it benefits the British people:

• a sovereign approach: the UK will use its freedoms to take a tailored approach to setting rules in a way that boosts growth and benefits the British people
• leading from the front: we will act nimbly to support the development of new technologies
• proportionality: we will use non-regulatory options where we can, while acting decisively to put in place strong rules where they are needed
• recognising what works: regulations will be thoroughly analysed to ensure they work in the real world
• setting high standards at home and globally: we will set high standards at home and engage in robust regulatory diplomacy across the world, leading in multilateral settings, influencing the decisions of others and helping to solve problems that require a global approach

The consultation follows a report from the Taskforce on Innovation, Growth and Regulatory Reform, which the Prime Minister convened earlier this year, and examines a number of the Taskforce’s proposals for reforming regulation, including the adoption of a less-codified, common law approach to regulation. There is also a focus on the process for measuring and reporting impacts under the Better Regulation Framework. Areas examined in the consultation include:

• the adoption of a less-codified, common law approach to regulation
• a review of the role of regulators, especially around competition and innovation
• delegation of more discretion to regulators to achieve regulatory objectives in a more agile and flexible way counterbalanced by increased accountability and scrutiny
• streamlining the process of assessment of impacts
• moving to earlier scrutiny of impact assessments and evaluation of existing regulation
• consideration of options on measuring the impact of regulation
• re-introduction of regulatory offsetting
• baselining the UK’s regulatory burden

See the BEIS consultation privacy notice.

Please do not send responses by post to the department at the moment as we may not be able to access them.