Truss promises to scrap ‘outdated’ EU laws if elected Tory leader

Conservative leadership hopeful Liz Truss has vowed to review all EU laws on the U.K.’s statute books and scrap those which are deemed to hinder growth.

The British foreign secretary, who is vying for the Tory leadership in a battle against Rishi Sunak, is calling for a “red tape bonfire” as she continues to pitch herself as the born-again Brexiteer, despite supporting Remain in 2016. 

In a statement late Friday, Truss promised to “unleash the full potential of Britain post-Brexit.”

“EU regulations hinder our businesses and this has to change,” she said. “In Downing Street, I will seize the chance to diverge from outdated EU law and frameworks and capitalize on the opportunities we have ahead of us.”

Truss said that every piece of EU-derived regulation will be evaluated to see whether it supports U.K. growth and investment. “Where regulation does not achieve either of those goals, it will be replaced with home-grown laws that do so,” according to the statement from Truss’s campaign team. 

The promise comes with a sunset deadline to ensure all EU law is “off the state books by the end of 2023.” It mirrors Sunak’s promise a week ago when he wrote in the Telegraph that by the time of the next general election he would have scrapped or reformed all EU red tape in Britain. 

The Tory leadership race was whittled down to two candidates on July 20 after Sunak secured the backing of 137 colleagues in the fifth round of voting while Truss picked up the support of 113. It’s now in the hands of party members, with the deadline for votes on September 2. The winner will be declared on September 5.