Google is planning to move control of Britons’ data from Europe to the US, where privacy law is weaker, it has been reported.

It plans to shift tens of millions of user accounts from the jurisdiction of Ireland to the US, according to Reuters.

The surprise move was prompted by Britain’s departure from the European Union ahead of negotiations between the UK and the EU on the movement of information across borders.

Just two weeks ago Google warned shareholders that Britain's departure from the European Union may hamper its revenue and subject the company to new regulatory fines and technical challenges relating to the transfer of personal data between the two countries.

A Google spokesman said: “Like many companies, we have to prepare for Brexit. Nothing about our services or our approach to privacy will change, including how we collect or process data, and how we respond to law enforcement demands for users' information. The protections of the UK General Data Protection Regulation will still apply to these users."

The nitty-gritty of what elements of the GDPR the UK will cherry pick now that it is no longer beholden to Europe’s laws is still being ironed out.

The Information Commissioner has assured companies it would mostly be business as usual during the current “transition period”.

After this, the GDPR will be brought into UK law as “UK GDPR” to sit along existing data protection law. While the UK allows information to flow into Europe, the reverse is still under negotiation.