*The ideas were in response to a public appeal made by Jacob Rees-Mogg in February*
–
BREXIT Opportunities Minister Jacob Rees-Mogg has published the “most interesting” Brexit opportunity ideas sent to him by the public.
Back in February, Rees-Mogg appealed to readers of the Express to write into his office with suggestions for how the UK might benefit from Brexit and has now received more 2000 ideas from the public.
Out of the thousands of replies, the second-best opportunity named by the department was more powerful vacuum cleaners – which was pipped to the top spot by fracking.
Other edifying ideas included the relaxation of rules for van drivers and the simplification of holiday pay calculations.
Among the more than 2000 suggestions, the [Express has published](https://archive.ph/Orm74) a list of nine “top” ideas.
They are:
> 1. Encourage fracking, shortcut rules on planning consultation via emergency act.
> 1. Abolish the EU regulations that restrict vacuum cleaner power to 1400 watts.
> 1. Remove precautionary principle restrictions (for instance) on early use of experimental treatments for seriously ill patients and GM crops.
> 1. Abolish rules around the size of vans that need an operator’s licence.
> 1. Abolish EU limits on electrical power levels of electrically assisted pedal cycles.
> 1. Allow certain medical professionals, such as pharmacists and paramedics, to qualify in three years.
> 1. Remove requirements for agency workers to have all the attributes of a permanent employee.
> 1. Simplify the calculation of holiday pay (eg 12.07 percent of pay) to make it easier for businesses to operate.
> 1. Reduce requirements for businesses to conduct fixed wire testing and portable application testing.
It is unclear which of these ideas will actually make it to the halls of Westminster for consideration but Rees-Mogg is reportedly “delighted” with the contributions.
When explaining his original decision to solicit the public for their ideas, he said: “Government is not the centre of all knowledge and wisdom. Actually, there is a much greater wisdom with the British people as a whole.
“That is why I am so keen for the British people to tell me what it is in their daily life that the Government does that makes their life harder. And if I can, I will push to get rid of that.”
A vacuum is space entirely devoid of matter, I guess that is ‘Brexit opportunities’ in a nutshell.
Jacob Rees-mogg knows what a vacuum cleaner is???
That’s highly advanced technology for the 1820’s!
Nanny must have given him lessons.
>1 Encourage fracking, shortcut rules on planning consultation via emergency act.
I mean, we could do this before we left? Fracking stopped because it economically didn’t make sense at the time. Ignoring the wider environmental implications of novel fossil fuel extraction, EU rules didn’t prevent it.
> 2 Abolish the EU regulations that restrict vacuum cleaner power to 1400 watts.
If this is the second best thing we can come up with lol.
> Remove precautionary principle restrictions (for instance) on early use of experimental treatments for seriously ill patients and GM crops.
Not too against this but needs to be a case by case basis obviously. Experimental treatments on seriously ill patients have their own medical ethical dilemmas that aren’t magically gonna be solved by leaving the EU. GM crops are good though.
>Abolish rules around the size of vans that need an operator’s licence.
These rules don’t apply to the UK. They do still apply to the continent.
>Abolish EU limits on electrical power levels of electrically assisted pedal cycles.
These rules are still in place in the UK and yes, probably should be abolished, we’ve been out of the EU a while now. Is kinda weird how we haven’t done anything about it. See electric scooters and the current ongoing trials.
>Allow certain medical professionals, such as pharmacists and paramedics, to qualify in three years.
No? Less qualified medical professionals is bad? For pharmacy at least, the mandatory fourth year of real life practice, under supervision from a senior pharmacist, is really really important.
>Remove requirements for agency workers to have all the attributes of a permanent employee.
Less workers rights. Yay.
>Simplify the calculation of holiday pay (eg 12.07 percent of pay) to make it easier for businesses to operate.
Holiday pay is really not that difficult to calculate…. You can literally just track it on a spreadsheet with a couple of formulas lol.
>Reduce requirements for businesses to conduct fixed wire testing and portable application testing.
More electrical fires. Yay.
This is all pretty inane stuff. Is that genuinely the best the British public can think of haha?
From a man who probably insists on candle light and coal fires..I’m actually shocked he knows what electricity is.
… Though he probably was present when Benjamin Franklin flew his kite.
…. I mean has anyone ever seen him cast a shadow or a reflection?
It’s not even a sensible opportunity; prior to that rule, manufacturers convinced consumers that “watts = cleaning power” and were engaged in a wattage war.
Meanwhile, my Kirby can suck the foam off a foam-backed carpet from the carpet side and draws 700 watts.
I dont get why this was such a big deal to brexiteers. My vacuum is fine. If it starts being a bit shit, odds are I need to clear the filter.
Why do we need stronger vacuums?
I read super powered vacuum and assumed we were just talking about the cabinet, not an actual vacuum
Mogg looks like he’s using a vacuum cleaner in the thumbnail.
Please don’t let us end up with PM Rees-Mogg.
Because that’s what you want during a cost of living crisis with electric costs through the roof… A terribly inefficient, energy sucking vacuum cleaner.
Remember this is **the best** they can come up with as for why we left the EU.
They’re going to need a super powered vacuum to get Johnson out of office. He’s like a damn cockroach.
Nah.
The best brexit opportunity was the fact that we coulg get rid of Nigel Farrage, BNP and EDL from the news
The second best opportunity would be to get rid Boris and his Uber Brexit MP support
Well, that sucks.
He’s not wrong. A pre EU limit Henry rocking in at ~1200W is massively more powerful than then 620W units they make now.
Limiting the power of appliances that are not “always” on is such a false economy.
Gee I’m glad we lost the freedom of travel, abode and work in countless countries for this. Real good trade off
16 comments
*The ideas were in response to a public appeal made by Jacob Rees-Mogg in February*
–
BREXIT Opportunities Minister Jacob Rees-Mogg has published the “most interesting” Brexit opportunity ideas sent to him by the public.
Back in February, Rees-Mogg appealed to readers of the Express to write into his office with suggestions for how the UK might benefit from Brexit and has now received more 2000 ideas from the public.
Out of the thousands of replies, the second-best opportunity named by the department was more powerful vacuum cleaners – which was pipped to the top spot by fracking.
Other edifying ideas included the relaxation of rules for van drivers and the simplification of holiday pay calculations.
Among the more than 2000 suggestions, the [Express has published](https://archive.ph/Orm74) a list of nine “top” ideas.
They are:
> 1. Encourage fracking, shortcut rules on planning consultation via emergency act.
> 1. Abolish the EU regulations that restrict vacuum cleaner power to 1400 watts.
> 1. Remove precautionary principle restrictions (for instance) on early use of experimental treatments for seriously ill patients and GM crops.
> 1. Abolish rules around the size of vans that need an operator’s licence.
> 1. Abolish EU limits on electrical power levels of electrically assisted pedal cycles.
> 1. Allow certain medical professionals, such as pharmacists and paramedics, to qualify in three years.
> 1. Remove requirements for agency workers to have all the attributes of a permanent employee.
> 1. Simplify the calculation of holiday pay (eg 12.07 percent of pay) to make it easier for businesses to operate.
> 1. Reduce requirements for businesses to conduct fixed wire testing and portable application testing.
It is unclear which of these ideas will actually make it to the halls of Westminster for consideration but Rees-Mogg is reportedly “delighted” with the contributions.
When explaining his original decision to solicit the public for their ideas, he said: “Government is not the centre of all knowledge and wisdom. Actually, there is a much greater wisdom with the British people as a whole.
“That is why I am so keen for the British people to tell me what it is in their daily life that the Government does that makes their life harder. And if I can, I will push to get rid of that.”
Despite the large response, Rees-Mogg is still open to ideas from the public to increase Government efficiency – which may complement his support to [reduce the number of civil service staff](https://www.thenational.scot/news/20138930.scots-hit-hardest-civil-service-job-cuts/) by 90,000 people.
*By* [Ninian Wilson](https://www.thenational.scot/author/profile/297460.Ninian_Wilson/)
A vacuum is space entirely devoid of matter, I guess that is ‘Brexit opportunities’ in a nutshell.
Jacob Rees-mogg knows what a vacuum cleaner is???
That’s highly advanced technology for the 1820’s!
Nanny must have given him lessons.
>1 Encourage fracking, shortcut rules on planning consultation via emergency act.
I mean, we could do this before we left? Fracking stopped because it economically didn’t make sense at the time. Ignoring the wider environmental implications of novel fossil fuel extraction, EU rules didn’t prevent it.
> 2 Abolish the EU regulations that restrict vacuum cleaner power to 1400 watts.
If this is the second best thing we can come up with lol.
> Remove precautionary principle restrictions (for instance) on early use of experimental treatments for seriously ill patients and GM crops.
Not too against this but needs to be a case by case basis obviously. Experimental treatments on seriously ill patients have their own medical ethical dilemmas that aren’t magically gonna be solved by leaving the EU. GM crops are good though.
>Abolish rules around the size of vans that need an operator’s licence.
These rules don’t apply to the UK. They do still apply to the continent.
>Abolish EU limits on electrical power levels of electrically assisted pedal cycles.
These rules are still in place in the UK and yes, probably should be abolished, we’ve been out of the EU a while now. Is kinda weird how we haven’t done anything about it. See electric scooters and the current ongoing trials.
>Allow certain medical professionals, such as pharmacists and paramedics, to qualify in three years.
No? Less qualified medical professionals is bad? For pharmacy at least, the mandatory fourth year of real life practice, under supervision from a senior pharmacist, is really really important.
>Remove requirements for agency workers to have all the attributes of a permanent employee.
Less workers rights. Yay.
>Simplify the calculation of holiday pay (eg 12.07 percent of pay) to make it easier for businesses to operate.
Holiday pay is really not that difficult to calculate…. You can literally just track it on a spreadsheet with a couple of formulas lol.
>Reduce requirements for businesses to conduct fixed wire testing and portable application testing.
More electrical fires. Yay.
This is all pretty inane stuff. Is that genuinely the best the British public can think of haha?
From a man who probably insists on candle light and coal fires..I’m actually shocked he knows what electricity is.
… Though he probably was present when Benjamin Franklin flew his kite.
…. I mean has anyone ever seen him cast a shadow or a reflection?
It’s not even a sensible opportunity; prior to that rule, manufacturers convinced consumers that “watts = cleaning power” and were engaged in a wattage war.
Meanwhile, my Kirby can suck the foam off a foam-backed carpet from the carpet side and draws 700 watts.
I dont get why this was such a big deal to brexiteers. My vacuum is fine. If it starts being a bit shit, odds are I need to clear the filter.
Why do we need stronger vacuums?
I read super powered vacuum and assumed we were just talking about the cabinet, not an actual vacuum
Mogg looks like he’s using a vacuum cleaner in the thumbnail.
Please don’t let us end up with PM Rees-Mogg.
Because that’s what you want during a cost of living crisis with electric costs through the roof… A terribly inefficient, energy sucking vacuum cleaner.
Remember this is **the best** they can come up with as for why we left the EU.
They’re going to need a super powered vacuum to get Johnson out of office. He’s like a damn cockroach.
Nah.
The best brexit opportunity was the fact that we coulg get rid of Nigel Farrage, BNP and EDL from the news
The second best opportunity would be to get rid Boris and his Uber Brexit MP support
Well, that sucks.
He’s not wrong. A pre EU limit Henry rocking in at ~1200W is massively more powerful than then 620W units they make now.
Limiting the power of appliances that are not “always” on is such a false economy.
Gee I’m glad we lost the freedom of travel, abode and work in countless countries for this. Real good trade off