Government says UK will continue to obey draconian new EU laws on data protection even after Brexit
The EU regulations will be incorporated into British law, a new paper confirms
BRITAIN is set to stay signed up to draconian EU data protection rules after Brexit, the Government confirmed today.
In the latest position paper for Brexit negotiations, ministers said they want to keep British law aligned with EU regulations.
Multinational businesses welcomed the suggestion of harmonised rules which enable them to operate across borders.
But small firms have complained that the laws - which threaten huge fines for misusing personal data such as email addresses - are overly harsh.
The paper published by David Davis' department today states that under current arrangements, the EU has the power to decide if Britain's data laws are good enough.
Officials say that we risk being unable to trade with Europe if our rules change too much after Brexit.
So Britain is aiming to set up a new agreement which would ensure that the same standards are recognised on both sides of the Channel.
The position paper warns any disruption in cross-border data flows would be "economically costly" to both the EU and UK.
It also says data sharing is essential to the fight against terrorism and major crimes.
Current EU directives on data protection will be written into UK law, and the Information Commissioner's Office will continue to co-operate with European agencies.
A new Data Protection Bill is due to be published next month, which will make the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) part of our law.
Last month The Sun revealed that small businesses are worried about the sweeping rules, which allow for fines of up to £18million.
Using people's data such as their address or phone number to drum up business will be illegal even for tiny firms and small traders.
The Federations of Small Businesses said: "Many small businesses are already straining under the burden of the current data protection regime and some will be having sleepless nights thinking about how GDPR will add to this."
But big business today welcomed the prospect of Britain taking the EU's lead on data regulation.
Tom Thackray of the Confederation of British Industry said: "A seamless transition deal is necessary to protect the free flow of information and provide legal certainty to businesses and consumers.
"If no transition deal is agreed, the UK's potential £240billion data economy is at risk of isolation."
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And Anthony Walker of TechUK argued that the Government's approach is "the only reliable mechanism for tackling this problem".
The Brexit department has been setting out its negotiation position on a range of issues over the past fortnight.
The papers come ahead of the third round of Brexit talks, which start in Brussels on Monday.
