Speaking yesterday at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester, Javid announced the launch of a “Brexit red tape challenge”, which he said would help identify EU regulations “that we can improve or remove”.
This, he said, would “liberate entrepreneurs, small businesses and consumers from the burden of overbearing bureaucracy, wherever we see it”.
Setting out the UK’s infrastructure needs, Javid said the government would soon launch the new Roads Investment Strategy, which will include a £29bn investment plan.
He also said the UK would take “a dynamic, market-driven approach to driving down our carbon emissions”.
Javid noted that the UK was the first large economy to commit to net zero by 2050 and praised prime minister Boris Johnsons’s announcement at a UN summit last week for funding the international fight against climate change and biodiversity loss.
He said these were approaches “we will take in building Britain’s future”.
However, Javid’s remarks on deregulation have prompted concerns among environmental groups.
Nick Molho, executive director of the think tank the Aldersgate Group tweeted that it was “important that regulations are judged on their merits”.
“Our [organisation’s] research shows that smart environmental regulations have and can deliver environmental and economic benefits and are key to get to net zero,” he said.
Earlier on Monday, environment secretary Theresa Villiers said UK farmers produced some of the highest quality food to some of the highest standards in the world and that “the UK would not water down those standards in future trade negotiations”.