EVERYBODY complains about EU regulation. Myths abound over curvature of cucumbers, how many bananas are allowed in a bunch or whether children may blow up balloons. More legitimate gripes include rules limiting working time to 48 hours a week, enforcing parental leave or regulating vacuum-cleaner power. Brexiteers say much red tape is imposed against British wishes and hobbles small firms that do not trade with the EU. They promise liberation after a vote to leave.

Membership of the EU, especially its single market, brings with it many rules. Some are ill-judged, uncosted and not subject to cost-benefit analysis. The working-time directive was a needless intrusion into an issue better decided at national level. And regulation imposes costs. Open Europe, a London-based think-tank, using official figures, says the annual cost to the economy of the EU’s 100 most expensive rules is £33 billion ($49 billion) a year.

Yet regulation also brings benefits, put in this case by the government at £59 billion (surely an exaggeration). It predates EU membership: the first rules on cucumbers came in the 1960s, before Britain joined. Moreover, the EU single market works only thanks to common rules. That is why in the 1980s Margaret Thatcher accepted more voting by majority (not unanimity) on single-market laws. Carolyn Fairbairn, director-general of the Confederation of British Industry, says such rules should really be seen as standardisation, not regulation. More will be needed to extend the single market to areas like digital, energy and services. Brexiteers have often made fun of extensive rules on road haulage, only to realise that road hauliers find them helpful.

It is also misleading to claim EU rules are always imposed on an unwilling government. Analysis by the London School of Economics finds Britain siding with the majority in 87% of EU votes. On climate change and financial regulation, Britain has led the push for tougher action. When businesses complain about red tape, they even find that the government has added extra rules to “gold-plate” those from the EU. The costliest burdens are home-grown not EU-inspired, notably tight planning controls, the new living wage and the apprenticeship levy. By international standards, Britain remains lightly regulated. According to the OECD think-tank, it has the least-regulated labour market and the second least-regulated product market in Europe. It also comes high in the World Bank’s rankings for ease of doing business.