Amid the economic turmoil that is currently affecting the UK post-Brexit vote, little thought is likely being given to what the consequences are for the laws of the UK. It is no doubt not fully appreciated just how much UK law comes from the EU.

In particular much of the UK’s employment protection (for example guaranteed paid holidays, the limits on the hours employees can work, the protection of jobs on a business sale), data protection law (which protects how organisations handle individuals’ personal information), competition law (which ensure that businesses compete on a level playing field), consumer law (for example which allow consumers to return goods purchased on-line and get a refund) and even how we label food and medicines all come from the EU.

In the run up to any negotiation to exit the EU and certainly afterwards, decisions will need to be made as to which of the substantial volume of EU law should be kept in the UK, what should be ditched and how should it be replaced. Nevertheless any UK business wanting to do business in the EU will still have to comply with EU laws thereby requiring businesses to follow two sets of laws instead of one.

Rather than getting rid of “red tape”, the chances are that in a post-EU UK, businesses will have to get used to a whole set of new laws. Whoever said it would be easy?