Policy paper

A new approach to ensure regulators and regulation support growth

An action plan setting out the government's approach to regulation and regulators

• From: HM Treasury and Department for Business and Trade
• Published: 17 March 2025
• Last updated: 8 July 2026
  Show all updates

  1. 8 July 2026

     'Regulation Action Plan Progress Report (July 2026)' and 'Update Against the Regulation Action Plan's Key Regulator Pledges (May 2026)' added to the page.

  2. 22 October 2025

     Regulation Action Plan - Progress Update and Next Step updated to include further detail from DEFRA and the Welsh Government on pages 12-13, on their plans to reform environmental permitting regulations to exempt low-risk activities from permitting to speed up the consenting process for developments; including nationally significant infrastructure projects.

  3. 21 October 2025

     Six months after the publication of the Regulation Action Plan, the government has published an update setting out progress delivered and the next steps it will take to upgrade the UK regulatory system. This publication is supplemented by a technical annex, setting out the government’s approach to calculating administrative burdens, and a progress update setting out key regulators’ progress in delivering the commitments that they announced in March.

  4. 31 March 2025

     Sentence added on key indicators in the Financial Services regulators. Clarification of commitments made on the Airspace Design Service (UKADS) and Support Fund

  5. 17 March 2025

     First published.

This was published under the 2024 to 2026 Starmer Labour government

Documents

Regulation Action Plan Progress Report (July 2026)

PDF, 11 MB, 15 pages

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Regulation Action Plan - Progress Update and Next Steps (October 2025)

PDF, 289 KB, 32 pages

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Regulation Action Plan - Progress Update and Next Steps (October 2025)

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Technical Annex – 25% Target Methodology (Annex A)

PDF, 206 KB, 13 pages

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Update Against the Regulation Action Plan's 'Key Regulator Pledges' (Annex B)

PDF, 192 KB, 30 pages

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Update Against the Regulation Action Plan's Key Regulator Pledges (May 2026)

PDF, 325 KB, 22 pages

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New approach to ensure regulators and regulation support growth (HTML)

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Details

This action plan sets out the next steps to our approach on regulation and regulators. It includes a range of pledges from regulators to support this effort. It will enable a regulatory system that supports innovation and economic growth while ensuring accountability for the quality of regulations introduced, as well as the way in which independent regulators implement and enforce them.