Reform UK Pledges to Scrap GDPR for New Zealand-Style Laws

The Reform UK party announced a series of flagship pro-business policies on Wednesday, centered on scrapping the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The party intends to replace the current EU-mirrored rules with a light-touch data protection framework modeled on New Zealand's privacy legislation.

Treasury spokesperson Robert Jenrick argued that existing regulations have strangled tech firms and small enterprises. The broader economic plan includes a hard work bonus to eliminate income tax on overtime, reversing employer national insurance contribution increases, and widening the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme to allow family members to invest up to £250,000 in businesses for tax rebates.

The Labour Party condemned the proposals as unworkable and unserious. Labour representatives claimed the policy launch was a desperate attempt to distract from a parliamentary probe into a £5 million donation Nigel Farage received from Thai-based crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne. Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride further criticized the announcements as half-baked schemes, specifically questioning the funding for the overtime tax policy and the viability of the GDPR replacement.