Ex-MEP Brendan Donnelly said Brussels would “inevitably draw the UK in over time” to follow bloc rules and regulations following claims made by Brexiteers the EU would eventually cease to exist. Mr Donnelly, who has stood in recent elections for the Rejoin EU party said on Twitter that any move would “make nonsense” of the UK “regaining sovereignty" after Brexit.

       He added: “The delusion that the EU will cease to exist is central to Brexiter analysis.

       “Unless it disappears, the EU will inevitably draw the UK over time into its regulatory orbit, making nonsense of 'regaining sovereignty.'

       “Much more comfortable to assume the EU won’t exist anymore.”

       It comes after ministers unveiled proposals to slash Brexit red tape by reforming and modernising the way regulations and rules are set in Britain.

       The UK Government argues the UK has the “freedom to make and implement rules that put British businesses and consumers first".

       Whitehall sources said the move would “save businesses” from “overbearing bureaucracy” and "reduce costs for consumers, whilst boosting competition, innovation and growth across the economy."

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       12:30pm update: Enraged EU policy chief accuses VDL of broken promise over Covid vaccines disaster

       Ursula von der Leyen's vaccine scheme has been criticised for its "insufficient shipments to Africa and Latin America".

       The European Union’s top foreign diplomat, Josep Borrell, said the bloc was losing influence to China by not helping the Covid jabs drives in poorer and low-income countries.

       His intervention is a direct attack on the European Commission’s promise to help smaller economies fight the coronavirus pandemic.

       11am update: SNP claim hard border with England will 'benefit Scots' torn apart

       The SNP has been branded "out of touch" after a party branch claimed a hard border with the rest of the UK will bring "economic, social and demographic benefits", even if Scotland rejoins the EU.

       Plans for a Borders Commission to examine how passport control checks at Gretna "might favourably benefit Scotland" will be discussed at the party's conference next month.

       The motion, lodged by the Meadows Morningside and Hawick and District SNP branches, calls for a “Regional Development plan” for the creation of “International Border Gateways".

       10am update: EU's AstraZeneca snub backfires as other firms hike prices for VDL's vaccine scheme

       The European Union's snub of AstraZeneca has backfired with other makers of Covid vaccines hiking their prices.

       Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna have raised the prices of their coronavirus jabs for the EU because of the success of their products in the bloc.

       The European Commission turned its back on Anglo-Swedish AstraZeneca after a row over supply shortages turned into a bitter legal row.

       9am update: Vets tell owners to get pets EU passport and avoid red tape

       Pet owners have been urged to "make their dogs and cats French" by giving them an EU pet passport after backlogs caused some delays for vets in the UK.

       Since the UK left the EU, owners who want to take their pets to the EU must pay a vet to fill out a complex nine-page pet travel certificate form.

       Vets have reported the document takes up to an hour to complete, with some businesses charging owners ￡200.

       But a loophole means animals that are assessed by a vet in the EU can get a passport from the bloc, allowing them to travel repeatedly without extra cost.

       8am update: UK Government urged to take action on setting up Trade Commission

       The SNP has blasted the UK government on its failure to deliver on its promise to urgently establish a statutory commission to scrutinise future trade deals on behalf of Scotland’s farming sector.

       Ministers promised to establish a new statutory Trade and Agriculture Commission to scrutinise future trade deals and to ensure that farmers and crofters across the UK would not be undercut and squeezed out as a result of any trade deals.

       However, amidst concerns from the farming industry that the Australian deal would set a precedent for lower standards and prices for future trade deals, the commission has still not been established.