LONDON, Aug 20 (Reuters) - Britain will "unshackle" its officials from most European Union meetings so they can focus on Brexit, reducing attendance by up to half, the Brexit ministry said on Tuesday.

“From now on we will only go to the meetings that really matter, reducing attendance by over half and saving hundreds of hours," Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay said in a statement.

As of Sept. 1, British officials will only attend EU meetings where the United Kingdom has a significant national interest, for example security, the ministry said.

"As a departing member state it makes sense to ‘unshackle’ officials from these EU meetings to enable them to better focus their talents on our immediate national priorities," the ministry said. (Reporting by Kylie MacLellan, writing by Guy Faulconbridge)