Green groups fear environmental deregulation drive

Speaking at a fringe event, MP for Chelmsford Vicky Ford said there was “no way” the UK would water down its environmental standards after Brexit.

Ford, who is a member of the Conservative Environment Network, said the Conservative Party was leading the world on combating climate change and that the public “would not stand for any weakening of regulations on the environment or animal welfare”.

The remarks follow chancellor of the exchequer Sajid Javid’s speech yesterday at the conference, during which he unveiled the “Brexit red tape challenge”, which he said would help identify EU regulations “that we can improve or remove”.