Reform UK has announced plans to scrap the current U.K. data protection regime, aiming to replace it with a model based on New Zealand's privacy laws to reduce regulation for small businesses.

Reform UK outlined plans on Tuesday night to abolish the U.K.'s current data protection regime, which is based on an amended version of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The party intends to replace these rules with a "light-touch" privacy law modeled after New Zealand's approach. Party leader Nigel Farage described the proposal as a "common-sense rescue plan" intended to alleviate regulatory burdens on small businesses and tech firms.

Proposed Regulatory Changes

Reform UK MP Robert Jenrick stated that the current GDPR framework has hindered British businesses with unnecessary regulation. The party argues that ten years after the Brexit referendum, the U.K. should no longer adhere to EU privacy laws. The proposed New Zealand model offers a different set of individual rights regarding personal data compared to the current EU-based system, which includes provisions such as the "right to be forgotten."

Data Adequacy and Economic Context

Despite the proposed shift, Reform UK maintains that adopting the New Zealand model would allow the U.K. to retain its EU data adequacy status, ensuring that personal data can continue to flow freely between the U.K. and the EU. The European Commission grants this status only to countries that provide a level of data protection essentially equivalent to that of the EU. The U.K. previously diverged from EU privacy standards with the passage of the Data (Use and Access) Act last year, which was designed to relax certain regulations to encourage economic growth.