Brexit – Changes to the Legal Landscape

Please note, this is legacy content from March 2017, and may no longer reflect the UK's current Brexit status.

With Britain set to begin the negotiation process of leaving the EU later this month, so has speculation about which EU policies could eventually be left behind in Brussels.

Some will be harder than others to abolish though, as Philip Costigan, partner at Coventry-based law firm Band Hatton Button explains.

He said: "There are two main ways in which legislation from the EU comes into force in the UK - through either directives or regulations.

"Directives are issued by the EU to member states, which have to pass through parliament, and will therefore remain once we have left the EU unless they are repealed.

"Regulations are applied to the UK without the need for parliament to pass a law, meaning they will no longer apply to the UK once it leaves the EU, unless parliament passes a specific law to keep them.

"The UK government has said it intends to pass a simple act of parliament that ratifies all legislation that has occurred from membership of the EU initially. This is a sensible approach, as it'll enable the government to review anything which it isn't comfortable with, and unpick with amended legislation on a case-by-case basis."

That said, here are just a few EU regulations - some more serious than others - that could be abolished in two years' time:

Vacuum cleaners over 1600w are currently banned by the EU in a bid to cut energy costs, but domestic cleaning could be about to get a bit easier if Parliament decides otherwise.

Workers from overseas can currently claim child benefit for their children, even if their child does not live in the UK.

It's currently illegal to work more than 48 hours a week, but this could be changed by the government, which is welcome news for those looking to earn more from doing overtime.

The EU requires a minimum of 15 per cent tax to be applied to energy bills, but the government will soon have the power to charge a lower rate.

EU nationals are currently free to travel and stay in the UK, but that could change post-Brexit and hit industries that rely on overseas workers.

The majority of diabetic motorists who require regular insulin treatment aren't allowed to drive, but the rules could soon be relaxed.

Shops aren't able to sell bananas and cucumbers that have an "abnormal curvature."