A REPORT by the Open Europe think-tank on the cost of European Union legislation over the past ten years confirms that the cost to British industry increases each year. Over last year, a massive increase in EU legislation has cost far more than that of the previous ten years put together.

Now, 72 per cent of all legislation in Britain originated within the EU Commission, the initiative of civil servants and the responsibility of EU Commissioners. Unless British, we are unlikely to have heard their names.

Bearing this in mind, here are the estimated figures. Out of the £148.2bn, which is the cost of implementing all our legislation over this time, £106.6bn is the result of EU legislation, the equivalent of 7.3 per cent of our Gross Domestic Product.

That figure includes the following: labour laws, £31bn; environment, £13.8bn; health and safety, £5.7bn; agriculture, £2bn; and food labelling, £1.7bn.

Implementing EU legislation is a continuous and constantly increasing expense. It’s a wonder small businesses still exist. A newly-liberated British government of any party could abolish those laws deemed unnecessary, under the scrutiny and electoral mandate of the British people. Get us out.

Charlotte Bull, UK Independence Party, Darlington.