Failure By Design?

In 2018, the then Environmental Secretary made a speech, promising the UK's environmental protection measures would be 'strengthened', after the country left the EU. The actuality is very different. The UK government now allows the use of many dangerous substances, banned by European rules. UK Reach, is the body now tasked by the Health and Safety Executive, with assessing dangerous chemicals. George Monbiot opines that it's underfunded; understaffed; underskilled and has an 'impossible' workload (https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/mar/18/britain-toxic-chemical-dump-brexit-europe). Monbiot calls this 'Failure by Design'. It's, of course, just the same in the current operation of England's Environment Agency. This body has also been deliberately financially 'starved' into a state where it has become incapable of 'policing' laws. It can't deal with illegal discharges of sewage by privatised water companies and farmers; use of banned pesticides on crops; the killing of protected species; fly-tipping etc., etc. It's clear you don't need to actually pass laws, allowing the use of dangerous chemicals and/or dodgy practices. You just need to ensure that your 'friends' are rarely caught and prosecuted! Simples!