diff --git a/compiler/rustc_infer/src/infer/glb.rs b/compiler/rustc_infer/src/infer/glb.rs
index 1570a08f3ca8b..0d38b94965afe 100644
--- a/compiler/rustc_infer/src/infer/glb.rs
+++ b/compiler/rustc_infer/src/infer/glb.rs
@@ -95,20 +95,12 @@ impl<'tcx> TypeRelation<'tcx> for Glb<'_, '_, 'tcx> {
         T: Relate<'tcx>,
     {
         debug!("binders(a={:?}, b={:?})", a, b);
-        if a.skip_binder().has_escaping_bound_vars() || b.skip_binder().has_escaping_bound_vars() {
-            // When higher-ranked types are involved, computing the GLB is
-            // very challenging, switch to invariance. This is obviously
-            // overly conservative but works ok in practice.
-            self.relate_with_variance(
-                ty::Variance::Invariant,
-                ty::VarianceDiagInfo::default(),
-                a,
-                b,
-            )?;
-            Ok(a)
-        } else {
-            Ok(ty::Binder::dummy(self.relate(a.skip_binder(), b.skip_binder())?))
-        }
+
+        // When higher-ranked types are involved, computing the LUB is
+        // very challenging, switch to invariance. This is obviously
+        // overly conservative but works ok in practice.
+        self.relate_with_variance(ty::Variance::Invariant, ty::VarianceDiagInfo::default(), a, b)?;
+        Ok(a)
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/compiler/rustc_infer/src/infer/lub.rs b/compiler/rustc_infer/src/infer/lub.rs
index 9f96d52c85034..498c1e907c4e1 100644
--- a/compiler/rustc_infer/src/infer/lub.rs
+++ b/compiler/rustc_infer/src/infer/lub.rs
@@ -95,20 +95,12 @@ impl<'tcx> TypeRelation<'tcx> for Lub<'_, '_, 'tcx> {
         T: Relate<'tcx>,
     {
         debug!("binders(a={:?}, b={:?})", a, b);
-        if a.skip_binder().has_escaping_bound_vars() || b.skip_binder().has_escaping_bound_vars() {
-            // When higher-ranked types are involved, computing the LUB is
-            // very challenging, switch to invariance. This is obviously
-            // overly conservative but works ok in practice.
-            self.relate_with_variance(
-                ty::Variance::Invariant,
-                ty::VarianceDiagInfo::default(),
-                a,
-                b,
-            )?;
-            Ok(a)
-        } else {
-            Ok(ty::Binder::dummy(self.relate(a.skip_binder(), b.skip_binder())?))
-        }
+
+        // When higher-ranked types are involved, computing the LUB is
+        // very challenging, switch to invariance. This is obviously
+        // overly conservative but works ok in practice.
+        self.relate_with_variance(ty::Variance::Invariant, ty::VarianceDiagInfo::default(), a, b)?;
+        Ok(a)
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/test/ui/lub-glb/empty-binder-future-compat.rs b/src/test/ui/lub-glb/empty-binder-future-compat.rs
deleted file mode 100644
index 8700a88a36ea0..0000000000000
--- a/src/test/ui/lub-glb/empty-binder-future-compat.rs
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,22 +0,0 @@
-// check-pass
-fn lt_in_fn_fn<'a: 'a>() -> fn(fn(&'a ())) {
-    |_| ()
-}
-
-
-fn foo<'a, 'b, 'lower>(v: bool)
-where
-    'a: 'lower,
-    'b: 'lower,
-{
-        // if we infer `x` to be higher ranked in the future,
-        // this would cause a type error.
-        let x = match v {
-            true => lt_in_fn_fn::<'a>(),
-            false => lt_in_fn_fn::<'b>(),
-        };
-
-        let _: fn(fn(&'lower())) = x;
-}
-
-fn main() {}
diff --git a/src/test/ui/lub-glb/empty-binders-err.rs b/src/test/ui/lub-glb/empty-binders-err.rs
deleted file mode 100644
index 557480173ee62..0000000000000
--- a/src/test/ui/lub-glb/empty-binders-err.rs
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,55 +0,0 @@
-fn lt<'a: 'a>() -> &'a () {
-    &()
-}
-
-fn lt_in_fn<'a: 'a>() -> fn(&'a ()) {
-    |_| ()
-}
-
-struct Contra<'a>(fn(&'a ()));
-fn lt_in_contra<'a: 'a>() -> Contra<'a> {
-    Contra(|_| ())
-}
-
-fn covariance<'a, 'b, 'upper>(v: bool)
-where
-    'upper: 'a,
-    'upper: 'b,
-
-{
-    let _: &'upper () = match v {
-        //~^ ERROR lifetime may not live long enough
-        //~| ERROR lifetime may not live long enough
-        true => lt::<'a>(),
-        false => lt::<'b>(),
-    };
-}
-
-fn contra_fn<'a, 'b, 'lower>(v: bool)
-where
-    'a: 'lower,
-    'b: 'lower,
-
-{
-
-    let _: fn(&'lower ()) = match v {
-        //~^ ERROR lifetime may not live long enough
-        true => lt_in_fn::<'a>(),
-        false => lt_in_fn::<'b>(),
-    };
-}
-
-fn contra_struct<'a, 'b, 'lower>(v: bool)
-where
-    'a: 'lower,
-    'b: 'lower,
-
-{
-    let _: Contra<'lower> = match v {
-        //~^ ERROR lifetime may not live long enough
-        true => lt_in_contra::<'a>(),
-        false => lt_in_contra::<'b>(),
-    };
-}
-
-fn main() {}
diff --git a/src/test/ui/lub-glb/empty-binders-err.stderr b/src/test/ui/lub-glb/empty-binders-err.stderr
deleted file mode 100644
index f86f22d5e40bf..0000000000000
--- a/src/test/ui/lub-glb/empty-binders-err.stderr
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,59 +0,0 @@
-error: lifetime may not live long enough
-  --> $DIR/empty-binders-err.rs:20:12
-   |
-LL | fn covariance<'a, 'b, 'upper>(v: bool)
-   |               --      ------ lifetime `'upper` defined here
-   |               |
-   |               lifetime `'a` defined here
-...
-LL |     let _: &'upper () = match v {
-   |            ^^^^^^^^^^ type annotation requires that `'a` must outlive `'upper`
-   |
-   = help: consider adding the following bound: `'a: 'upper`
-
-error: lifetime may not live long enough
-  --> $DIR/empty-binders-err.rs:20:12
-   |
-LL | fn covariance<'a, 'b, 'upper>(v: bool)
-   |                   --  ------ lifetime `'upper` defined here
-   |                   |
-   |                   lifetime `'b` defined here
-...
-LL |     let _: &'upper () = match v {
-   |            ^^^^^^^^^^ type annotation requires that `'b` must outlive `'upper`
-   |
-   = help: consider adding the following bound: `'b: 'upper`
-
-help: the following changes may resolve your lifetime errors
-   |
-   = help: add bound `'a: 'upper`
-   = help: add bound `'b: 'upper`
-
-error: lifetime may not live long enough
-  --> $DIR/empty-binders-err.rs:35:12
-   |
-LL | fn contra_fn<'a, 'b, 'lower>(v: bool)
-   |              --      ------ lifetime `'lower` defined here
-   |              |
-   |              lifetime `'a` defined here
-...
-LL |     let _: fn(&'lower ()) = match v {
-   |            ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ type annotation requires that `'lower` must outlive `'a`
-   |
-   = help: consider adding the following bound: `'lower: 'a`
-
-error: lifetime may not live long enough
-  --> $DIR/empty-binders-err.rs:48:12
-   |
-LL | fn contra_struct<'a, 'b, 'lower>(v: bool)
-   |                  --      ------ lifetime `'lower` defined here
-   |                  |
-   |                  lifetime `'a` defined here
-...
-LL |     let _: Contra<'lower> = match v {
-   |            ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ type annotation requires that `'lower` must outlive `'a`
-   |
-   = help: consider adding the following bound: `'lower: 'a`
-
-error: aborting due to 4 previous errors
-
diff --git a/src/test/ui/lub-glb/empty-binders.rs b/src/test/ui/lub-glb/empty-binders.rs
deleted file mode 100644
index f9d07e79fdabf..0000000000000
--- a/src/test/ui/lub-glb/empty-binders.rs
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,45 +0,0 @@
-// check-pass
-//
-// Check that computing the lub works even for empty binders.
-fn lt<'a: 'a>() -> &'a () {
-    &()
-}
-
-fn lt_in_fn<'a: 'a>() -> fn(&'a ()) {
-    |_| ()
-}
-
-struct Contra<'a>(fn(&'a ()));
-fn lt_in_contra<'a: 'a>() -> Contra<'a> {
-    Contra(|_| ())
-}
-
-fn ok<'a, 'b, 'upper, 'lower>(v: bool)
-where
-    'upper: 'a,
-    'upper: 'b,
-    'a: 'lower,
-    'b: 'lower,
-
-{
-    let _: &'lower () = match v {
-        true => lt::<'a>(),
-        false => lt::<'b>(),
-    };
-
-    // This errored in the past because LUB and GLB always
-    // bailed out when encountering binders, even if they were
-    // empty.
-    let _: fn(&'upper ()) = match v {
-        true => lt_in_fn::<'a>(),
-        false => lt_in_fn::<'b>(),
-    };
-
-    // This was already accepted, as relate didn't encounter any binders.
-    let _: Contra<'upper> = match v {
-        true => lt_in_contra::<'a>(),
-        false => lt_in_contra::<'b>(),
-    };
-}
-
-fn main() {}