Brexit: Imperial units only part of laws revamp, says No 10

Traders sell fruit and veg in pounds and ounces, although they cannot weigh it that way

The government says its review of EU rules on imperial measures for traders is only a "small part" of plans to reshape laws after Brexit.

The overhaul could permit retailers to once again sell goods only using Britain's traditional weighing system.

Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner has said it shows ministers are "out of touch" with voters' priorities.

But No 10 said it was just one element of its drive to recast laws inherited from the EU.

The change, announced on Thursday, is part of a government drive to increase innovation by reassessing thousands of EU-era regulations.

The UK copied over the laws to smooth its exit from the EU, but is now planning to decide which it wants to keep, ditch or amend.

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As part of the review, the government said it would legislate "in due course" to remove an ban on imperial-only markings carried over from the EU.

An EU law requires traders to use metric measurements when weighing packaged or loose goods for sale in England, Wales and Scotland.

They are still allowed to sell goods and display prices in imperial quantities, but they cannot "stand out more" than the metric measures.

The rules shot to prominence after the prosecution of the "metric martyrs", a group of market traders convicted in 2001 of selling goods using only imperial measures, but have since not been rigorously enforced.

'Important symbol'

Boris Johnson pledged to change the rules ahead of the 2019 election, telling the Daily Mail: "We will bring back that ancient liberty. I see no reason why people should be prosecuted."

"There will be an era of generosity and tolerance towards traditional measurements," the prime minister pledged.

On Thursday, the government also said it would end an EU-inherited prohibition on printing crown stamps on new pint glasses.

The Crown was used since 1699 as a guarantee of the size of pints and half pints, but was replaced by an EU-wide "CE" mark in 2007.

Its review document said this would allow publicans and restaurants to "voluntarily embrace this important symbol".

Crown stamps could be in line for a return under a revision of laws carried over from the EU

However, the changes were criticised by Labour's Angela Rayner, who tweeted: "My constituents are bothering about losing 20 quid a week from their universal credit, not twenty ounces or twenty pounds."

"How out of touch can you be to care more about the measurements in shops than whether working people can afford their weekly shop and put food on the table?" she added.

Another Labour MP, Jess Phillips, added: "Literally no one has ever raised this with me as an MP. Ever!"

And referring to the current lorry driver shortages, SNP MP Stephen Flynn said ministers "could do with just focusing on having food on the shelves in the first place to be honest".

Crops, AI, data

But on Friday, Downing Street defended the plans to review measurement rules, adding they were "one small part of a wide-ranging drive across government to establish the right regulatory environment to support jobs and growth across the UK".

"Pounds and ounces are an easily understood and widely used unit of measurement," the PM's spokesman added.

The government is also planning to review EU-derived laws on clinical trials, artificial intelligence regulation, and data handling.

It is also planning to reassess EU restrictions on using gene editing to modify livestock and food crops in England.

An official consultation on the matter closed in March, and the government is currently reviewing the responses.

Brexit minister Lord Frost said the review would allow the UK to ensure "Brexit freedoms" are harnessed to help businesses.