British Business Wants EU To Lay Off the Red Tape

Don't hold your breath

The UK prime minister is being urged by business leaders to push for deregulation across a range of sectors including employment law and chemicals, as part of his drive to reform Britain's relations with the EU.

Mr Cameron is waiting until the widely expected re-election of Angela Merkel as German chancellor next month before stepping up his renegotiation efforts, but his agenda is becoming clearer.

While his business advisers stress the need for lighter regulation of companies, David Cameron is also hoping to win German and perhaps French support for a new approach to EU migration and, in particular, access for migrants to social security benefits.