Reform UK has pledged to abolish the UK GDPR and replace it with a lighter privacy framework modeled after New Zealand’s law to reduce regulatory burdens on businesses.

Key Points

• Reform UK leaders Nigel Farage and Robert Jenrick proposed the policy as part of a broader economic package aimed at supporting the nation's six million small businesses.
• The proposed New Zealand-style model would significantly lower potential penalties for data breaches, which are currently capped at NZ$50,000 compared to the UK's multi-million-pound fines.
• The plan aims to remove specific EU-derived privacy requirements, such as the "right to be forgotten," which the party claims stifles innovation and growth.
• Critics, including the Labour Party and Shadow Chancellor Sir Mel Stride, have questioned the proposal's feasibility and its potential impact on the UK's EU data adequacy status.
• Reform UK is currently facing a High Court lawsuit brought by the Good Law Project regarding alleged non-compliance with the existing UK GDPR regulations.

Why it Matters

Replacing the UK GDPR could jeopardize the country's data adequacy agreement with the European Union, which allows for the seamless transfer of personal data across borders. If this status is revoked, British businesses would face significant new legal and administrative costs to maintain international operations.