Prime Minister David Cameron has today announced new plans to cut red tape in the UK – including the removal of 80,000 pages of environmental regulations.

In a speech to the Federation of Small Businesses, the Prime Minister told the audience that the government has exceeded its target to identify 3,000 regulations to be amended or scrapped, with 800 regulations already abolished or simplified.

The Prime Minister announced plans which he said would "make it vastly easier and cheaper" for businesses to meet environmental obligations - by March 2015 Defra will have slashed 80,000 pages of environmental guidance with an estimated saving to business of around £100 million per year.

David Cameron said:

“Supporting business is a crucial part of our long term economic plan, creating jobs and security for all. That is why, among so many other things, I have insisted on slashing needless regulation. We will be the first government in modern history to have reduced – rather than increased – domestic business regulation during our time in office.”

“This will make it easier for you to grow, to create jobs and to help give this country the long-term security we are working towards. More than 1.3 million new jobs have been created since I came to office – many of them by small businesses. And I know many of you want to grow further – or may be thinking of employing your first person - but have been put off or held back by red tape.”

“So we have trawled through thousands of pieces of regulation – from the serious to the ridiculous, and we will be scrapping or amending over 3,000 regulations – saving business well over £850 million every single year. That’s half a million pounds which will be saved for businesses every single day of the year.”

The government has also already stopped a number of health and safety inspections and the new Deregulation Bill will exempt 1 million self-employed people from health and safety law altogether.