01 November 2019

A leaked document seen by the Financial Times has revealed the government's plans to dilute workers' rights after the UK leaves the EU.

The internal government memo argues that a change in wording to the new Brexit proposal allows the Prime Minister to argue that it is "inappropriate for the future UK-EU relationship" to agree to a shared enforcement mechanism to prevent UK employment standards falling behind that of our European peers.

"The previous Protocol applied wide-ranging LPF [level playing field] measures on a UK-wide basis as a response to UK access to the EU market through the single customs territory," the document said.

"The only level playing field provisions in the revised Protocol are those necessary to support the operation of the Single Electricity Market and state aid measures that affect trade between [Northern Ireland] and the EU."

Commenting on the leak, the BBC has said the wording of the document reveals that "weakening these provisions was a key part of the renegotiation".