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Plans to scrap the UK's 'purdah' rules ahead of the EU referendum could 'hobble' the government, according to civil service chief Sir Jeremy Hayward. (Photo: UK Parliament)

UK referendum rules could 'hobble' government

Preventing ministers from carrying out EU-related business in the weeks before the UK’s referendum on EU membership could "hobble" the UK government, the head of its civil service has warned.

Speaking at a hearing of the UK parliament’s constitutional affairs committee on Tuesday (21 July), Sir Jeremy Hayward warned that unless ministers were exempted from the so-called purdah period, the government could be prevented from negotiating with their EU counterparts on laws affecting the UK....

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Author Bio

Benjamin Fox is a seasoned reporter and editor, previously working for fellow Brussels publication Euractiv. His reporting has also been published in the Guardian, the East African, Euractiv, Private Eye and Africa Confidential, among others. He heads up the AU-EU section at EUobserver, based in Nairobi, Kenya.

Plans to scrap the UK's 'purdah' rules ahead of the EU referendum could 'hobble' the government, according to civil service chief Sir Jeremy Hayward. (Photo: UK Parliament)

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Author Bio

Benjamin Fox is a seasoned reporter and editor, previously working for fellow Brussels publication Euractiv. His reporting has also been published in the Guardian, the East African, Euractiv, Private Eye and Africa Confidential, among others. He heads up the AU-EU section at EUobserver, based in Nairobi, Kenya.

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