Brexit: London is already seeking to circumvent the agreement

Only a few days after the implementation of Brexit, London is already considering deviating from European rules.

And precisely, the British Department for Enterprises is considering reviewing certain rules on labor law, in particular the one which caps working time at 48 hours per week.

This is a European directive that applies across the continent.

However, under the Brexit agreement, London is committed not to "diverge" from the rules in force in Europe.

This has been the hard point of the negotiations for months, the Europeans telling the British "if you want to continue to access our market, you will have to accept our rules".

So that there is no unfair competition?

Exactly, it is the principle of the "level playing field", to play on equal terms.

But if we are to believe the Financial Times, which is also worried, the most conservative in Boris Johnson's entourage, and the Prime Minister himself, are already studying a unraveling of the rules on working time. to give UK companies an edge.

Nothing is official at this stage.

But we can clearly see the temptation to "test" the strength of the Brexit agreement.

If London diverges, then there is a sanction mechanism: the European Union can impose customs duties.

There is no question of our companies being penalized in relation to British competitors who would be subject to more flexible rules.

We want to avoid social dumping at our doors.

Yes, except that according to the hard-fought agreement signed in December, to sanction London, Brussels must prove that the British rules undermine competition.

In short, it can be complicated and degenerate into litigation.

In truth, the British business community is not particularly asking for such a relaxation: labor law across the Channel is already more flexible than elsewhere in Europe.

And British businesses are obviously worried that Europe will sanction them with additional tariffs.

But the fact that only 15 days after the Brexit agreement, London is already considering circumventing it, does not bode well for the future.

And gives a foretaste of what the post-Brexit threatens to be: an endless list of disputes between the European Union and the United Kingdom.