The idea
Complexity costs money. The way to save money is to simplify.
Legislation should be owned by a government department. They should count the number of words in their legislation. Then they should have a target of reduction. 40% would be reasonable for the first year.
The EU should not be allowed to introduce new legislation without reducing the equivalent number of words elsewhere.
Why is it important?
Complexity costs money. It leads to the need for more civil servants. Top civil servants used to judge their status by the number of people reporting to them. This lead to larger estabishments.
We must change this mindset. Top civil servants should be rewarded by meeting the target of reducing the amount of legislation owned by their department.