If you want a trade agreement with the EU then yes it will govern aspects of people's lives in the UK because the majority of EU laws are trade regulations.

In a deflationary environment countries that run trade deficits make the rules. Germany is currently exporting its deflation (and its effects) to the UK via its trade surplus which the Bank of England then has to mitigate.

At this point severe trade restrictions with the UK would likely mean even more severe imbalances inside the EU and the eventual exit of Italy, Spain and Portugal.

If there is still a trade agreement between the UK and the EU, then lots of things in the UK will still be controlled by the EU, as the EU is larger and will make the trade rules. (Also, the EU is quite bureaucratic and thus not so flexible, so it will not be very willing to make a special agreement with the UK. It's EEA, Canada-style, WTO-style, or nothing.)

If you don't want the EU controlling any aspect of the UK, you can't have a trade agreement.

Right now small businesses in the UK that don't export at all have to comply with all EU rules. If the UK leaves then they won't. So the effective influence will be greatly reduced.

That's assuming that the UK doesn't establish similar rules.

Many of the EU regulations are designed to help consumers e.g. data protection.

They also push impossible energy efficiency standards for home appliances.

So the EU bans toasters and kettles that work: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/05/10/eu-to-launch-kett...

Vacuum cleaners that work: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/eu/11047127...

Some of the other bizarre rules...

It's illegal for bottled water makers to claim it's effective against dehydration: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/eu/8897662/...

They tried to ban jugs of olive oil at restaurants: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/eu/10064787...

A salmon smoker had to re-do all package to notify people that it contained fish: http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2016/05/03/476064362/b...

There's just a lot of bs. Also the common agriculture policy and common fishing policy haven't been great for the UK.

Hurray! We will at last have our crooked cucumbers and carrots, that the EU has for so long cruelly deprived us of!

And the straight bananas, don't forget about them.

At last a free market where the curvature of the banana is subject to consumer choice.

I myself prefer the straight banana for optimizing my fruit salad.

A lot of those rules came from the UK in the first place.