Brexit today: David Davis vows UK will not be plunged into 'Mad Max-style' world after EU exit - as it happened
Follow for the latest updates
Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK
Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight
Fears that Britain will be plunged into a "Mad Max-style" dystopia after Brexit are baseless, David Davis has told business leaders in Vienna.
In the latest in a series of high-profile speeches on the EU withdrawal, the Brexit Secretary insisted that ministers are not planning to sweep away regulations in a "race to the bottom" on taxes and standards.
As pressure mounts on Theresa May to unite her warring Cabinet, Brexiteers Michael Gove and Liam Fox delivered major speeches, while Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson faced questions from MPs in the Commons.
Oxfam GB chief executive Mark Goldring apologised for appearing to downplay allegations of sexual misconduct by some charity staff in Haiti following a devastating earthquake in 2010.
More than 7,000 people have cancelled regular donations to the charity since the scandal broke, he told MPs on the International Development Committee.
Elsewhere, Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn vowed to strip the City of London of its dominance in a speech accusing the financial sector of having a “pernicious and undemocratic” control over British politics.
As it happened...
Michael Gove says the current Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is not working. Paying landowners simply on the size of their land drives up the cost of land, holds back productivity and innovation, he says.
He says the farming inspection regime is "ripe for change" and gets a round of applause from the audience for pledging to review the system. Dame Glenys Stacey will lead the probe, which seeks to simplify the system.
There must be a transition period for farming after Brexit, he says. Agriculture needs skilled workers and seasonal labour, Gove says, and promises the Government will be able to say more about this soon.
Farmers will have to think "more creatively" about where to get access to labour after Brexit, he says.
Michael Gove now talking about environment protection, saying soil degradation costs the UK around £2bn each year. All citizens and taxpayers must invest in the environment.
Tory MP Pauline Latham is giving Mr Goldring a tough time, telling him: "I found it quite shocking that you said when you were talking about when you first came into post that you were briefed on it but you were very focused on Syria…does it mean that as head of this organisation you can only deal with one problem at a time?
"Because that surely is not the right person for the job."
He replied: "I’m sorry if I gave the impression that I couldn’t deal with multiple things...I was given clear assurances that the Haiti case had been well-handled, that it had been properly closed, action had been taken and there was a work programme of improvement put in place straight away.
"I had no reason to believe that I should reopen the Haiti case."
Oxfam investigations into use of prostitutes in Haiti "could not establish that any of the women were under 18", Mr Goldring said, when being questioned on whether any of them were children.
Pauline Latham tells Oxfam they are "not the victims", the girls are. She says people will "lose out" in the poorest countries "because of your behaviour in the aid sector".
Oxfam's Winnie Byanyima says she fled to the UK as a teenager and had benefitted from the generosity of the British people. She vowed that the charity was trying to change.
Britain wants a Brexit trade deal that gives it free, unrestricted access to EU markets but where it was “not required to obey European rules”, David Davis has said.
Speaking to business leaders in Vienna the Brexit Secretary rejected the idea that the UK has to stay aligned with EU regulations to avoid trade barriers, and called for “mutual recognition” between the two regulatory regimes to avoid cutting British firms off from the continent.
More here:
Back at the International Development Committee, Tory MP James Duddridge asks about "sex for aid", whether the practice goes on at Oxfam and elsewhere.
Winnie Byanyima says the matter is about "abuse of power" of women and girls, and vows to "root it out" in Oxfam.
On the employment of disgraced staff, Chief executive Mark Goldring says the charity was developing a central register and would be much tougher on pursuing references for staff.
Tory MP Pauline Latham asks if they are "completely honest" on their references.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies