Commons committee highlights problems in UK regulators post-Brexit- cuts will make things worse

12 October 2022

The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has today released a report looking at the risks caused by delays to post-Brexit regulation and how they apply to UK regulators.

In particular the committee warned that staff shortages in roles like Defra vets and in HSE, coupled with changes to the regulatory regime after Brexit, was causing big problems.

Mike Clancy, General Secretary of Prospect, said:

“Britain’s regulators have been underfunded for more than a decade and the added workload from Brexit has accentuated the problem.

“Rather than doing something about it the government is making things worse, promising more cuts to staff, more cuts to budgets and imposing hugely damaging real-terms pay cuts on the workforce.

“The government needs to get a grip of this crisis, stop threatening more cuts, and pay decent wages.”