The UK Government has launched its consultation on the UK Internal Market White Paper. The consultation goes on until 13 August. After the consultation period, the UK Government intend to legislate before the end of the year through primary legislation. 

 

The purpose of the consultation is to deal with those powers underpinning regulatory standards and rules on traded goods and services which revert to the UK at the end of the transition period on 31 December. 

 

The UK Government approach is focused on two principles: (1) mutual recognition; and (2) non-discrimination for businesses.

 

The mutual recognition principle is intended to prevent any one of the four UK nations being able to impose restrictions on the other three in a way causing mutual advantage or mutual disadvantage. Goods and services recognised as compliant in one part of the UK will be recognised in the others (subject to the rules within the Withdrawal Agreement Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland).

 

In terms of products circulating in NI, the provisions of the Protocol will apply in terms of continued EU rules and standards applicable there beyond 1 January, which should be considered in conjunction with this consultation. 

The non-discrimination principle intends to provide equal opportunities for companies trading in the UK regardless of where in the UK the company is based.

There are a few documents to consider (all published by BEIS) -

 

 

You are of course free to make your own submission here, but if you can give your feedback to William Bain (william.bain@brc.org.uk) by 6 August that would be greatly appreciated.