The news that the Welsh Government’s legal challenge to the Internal Market Act was refused by the High Court last month may have passed under the radar of many. The development was not widely covered in the mainstream media, and was greeted with fairly little online discussion by the general commentariat.

While the regular reassurances of the government’s commitment to maintaining public protections are welcome, the raft of deregulatory announcements from inside and around Number Ten in recent months point to a deeper agenda at play.

Even within areas of devolved competence, there remain opportunities for the Welsh government to further accelerate the high standards agenda.