Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Brexit split with EU over personal data risks harm to UK business and security, report warns

Exclusive: Proposals ‘driven by desire to show benefit from Brexit’

Andrew Woodcock
Political Editor
Saturday 06 August 2022 23:13 BST
Comments
Liz Truss claims Brexit caused no disruption

A Conservative former home secretary has backed calls for Boris Johnson’s successor to ditch his Brexit plan to split from the EU on data regulation, amid warnings it will cost businesses billions.

A new report by the ex-leader of Tory MEPs, Lord Timothy Kirkhope, today warns Mr Johnson’s plan for a new UK-only rulebook on data security could cut Britain off from the free exchange of information within Europe, and undermine protections against international crime and terrorism.

Businesses could be locked out of lucrative markets and may relocate outside the UK in order to avoid the additional barriers to trade, while police and security agencies could lose access to vital information on suspects’ criminal records, fingerprints, DNA or car registrations, the report warns.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in