A major independent report has delivered a stark warning: the UK is actively dismantling its environmental rulebook and falling dangerously behind the European Union's evolving green standards since Brexit.
The study, conducted by the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP), exposes a concerted effort by Westminster to review, repeal, and weaken laws that were once aligned with EU benchmarks. This strategic divergence is creating a growing regulatory gap, with Britain poised to become a more polluted and less environmentally protected outlier.
The Great Divergence: Where the UK is Falling Behind
The analysis highlights several critical areas where the UK is backtracking or failing to keep pace:
- The Chemical Chasm: The EU's groundbreaking REACH regulations are becoming stricter, banning thousands of harmful substances. The UK's own version, UK REACH, has been deliberately weakened, with the government admitting its new approach will reduce the level of protection for human health and the environment.
- Water Woes: The UK has abandoned the EU's strict 'polluter pays' principle for water quality. Furthermore, it has dropped legally binding targets on river health that were central to the EU's Water Framework Directive, a move described by experts as a serious reduction in ambition.
- A Transparency Blackout: The government has been accused of operating under a veil of secrecy, withholding vital data on pesticide use and other environmental metrics that were publicly available when the UK was an EU member.
A Deliberate Deregulatory Agenda
This isn't accidental oversight; it's policy. The report identifies a clear political strategy to lighten the regulatory burden on business, championed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). This agenda, however, is being pursued at the expense of long-term environmental safeguards and public health.
Shaun Spiers, executive director of the Green Alliance, condemned the approach, stating it risks a "race to the bottom" and signals that the UK is open for business based on lower standards, not higher innovation.
Brexit Promises vs. Environmental Reality
The findings stand in direct contradiction to the government's post-Brexit promise to be a world leader in environmental protection. Instead of a "Green Brexit," the evidence points to a systematic erosion of standards, leaving the UK isolated and less resilient.
With the EU continuing to strengthen its green policies, the gap is set to widen, potentially creating barriers to trade and positioning the UK as a haven for practices and products no longer permitted in its largest market.
