UK won’t align with EU laws, Sunak says

Bloomberg

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the UK isn’t prepared to align itself with EU laws as part of their post-Brexit relationship, pushing back against reports his government is exploring the potential for Switzerland-style ties with the bloc.
“Under my leadership the United Kingdom will not pursue any relationship with Europe that relies on alignment with EU laws,” Sunak said at the Confederation of British Industry’s annual conference in Birmingham on Monday. Britain having its own regulatory freedom is “an important opportunity of Brexit,” he said.
Sunak’s administration is under growing pressure from business to ease economic friction with the EU, Britain’s largest trading partner, amid polling which increasingly shows Britons regret the split. At the weekend 10 Downing Street denied a Sunday Times report that the UK is considering the Swiss model of relations with the bloc, whereby improved market access is negotiated through a series of bilateral deals.
On Monday, CBI Director General Tony Danker called on Sunak to liberalize migration to plug labor shortages that are hampering growth in Britain, telling the lobby group’s conference the government should issue fixed-term visas to secure “economic migration in the areas where we aren’t going to get the people or the skills at home anytime soon.”
“We’ve got an immigration system that’s far too nervous about bringing in the skills we need,” Danker said in an interview with Bloomberg Television’s Lizzy Burden, arguing that the shortage of workers is adding to the “stagflation” pressures in the UK economy.
When asked about the prospect on Monday, Sunak said his priority is tackling illegal migration but he also wants to the UK to be a “beacon for the best and brightest.”
Managing the post-Brexit relationship with the EU is a sensitive issue for Sunak given ongoing deep divisions within his ruling Conservative Party over the topic.