Meddling EU bureaucrats are determined to push through rules which will push up the price of Marigolds and oven gloves. In a bid to stop people being injured in the kitchen, the Telegraph reports that Brussels will vote on draconian measures which will make manufactures rigorously test products which have been on the market for years.
Oven gloves will face a boot camp to ensure they can withstand temperatures of up to 200 degrees centigrade (392 Fahrenheit) and all washing up gloves will be forced to demonstrate they can withstand “basic detergents” such as washing up liquid.
It has been estimated that the proposals could put up the cost of these items by as much as 20 per cent as household goods will be required to meet the same standards as those used in industrial kitchens.
A spokesman for the European Commission defended the new rules, warning that ‘sub-standard’ oven gloves “obviously lead to severe burns and people conned out of money for products that don’t work.”
“Of course every jurisdiction anywhere in the developed world has product safety and quality standards covering pretty much all products to avoid people being injured” he added.
The news, which comes after the EU faced criticism for banning powerful vacuum cleaners, will not be welcomed by the government already struggling to show it can bring about reform for the country.
The Conservative business minister Matthew Hancock, who described the proposals as “completely bonkers”, will try to block the regulations. But opposition from Germany and the Netherlands will make this virtually impossible and bring into question his pledge to fight over-regulation from the EU.
“This EU power grab…would place a huge weight on businesses who are trying to serve their customers” Mr Hancock said.
“These over-zealous proposals underscore the need for EU reform and why we must fight Brussels over-regulation to get the best deal for Britain.”
Last week former euro enthusiast Sir James Dyson said he would vote to leave the EU.
UKIP MEP Ray Finch, said the European Commission “as is its wont, is using a sledgehammer to crack a walnut.”
He told Breitbart London that he believed people were personally able to judge if their washing up gloves and oven gloves met with their approval based on whether they stopped their hands getting burnt or protected them from washing detergents.
“The next step is obviously mandatory Health and Safety training for any kitchen work at home” he added.
The EU has not specified whether there will be annexes to legislation for people who use other items such as tea towels for taking dishes out of the oven or whether there will need to be warning labels to alert novice bakers that wet items may not protect them from hot cake tins.