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‘Patience of businesses is reaching breaking point over Brexit’
Bristol business leaders are calling on Westminster politicians to bring an end to internal squabbles over Brexit and put national economic interests first.
This follows a damning report, which reveals that confidence in the Government’s ability to secure a successful deal for companies in the UK is sinking fast.
In a survey of the region’s small and medium enterprises (SMEs), conducted by Business West, 49 per cent of businesses said they felt negative about the way negotiations are progressing, while only 12 per cent expressed confidence in the Brexit negotiations.
Graph by Business West
A vast majority (65 per cent) agreed that the Government has failed to adequately communicate what businesses need to do to prepare for when Britain leaves the EU.
Graph by Business West
Nigel Gainard of Bristol-based KN Office Supplies urged both the Government and opposition to “get on with it and put the UK first, not their own agendas.”
In the aftermath of June’s European Council summit and ahead of cabinet deliberations later this week on the UK’s negotiating stance, Business West says that continued uncertainty is “causing a significant slowdown in business investment”.
“Over the past two years, businesses have been patient,” said Phil Smith, managing director of Business West (main photo).
“We have supported the Government’s drive to seek the best possible deal for the UK economy.
“We have given time, expertise and real-world experience to support hard-pressed civil service negotiators. We have brought local businesses and elected representatives and officials round the table to talk through their concerns.
“Now, with the time running out ahead of the UK’s exit from the EU, business patience is reaching breaking point.
“It’s time for politicians to stop the squabbling and the Westminster point-scoring – and start putting the national economic interest first. These are not ‘siren voices’ or special interests.
“They are the practical, real-world concerns of businesses of every size and sector, from across the region and in every part of the UK.”
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Read more: ‘No deal Brexit scenario directly threatens Airbus’ future in the UK’
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The warning comes in the wake of big companies – including Airbus and Rolls-Royce – saying their future in the UK is in doubt if no Brexit deal is reached.
Liam Fox says that Brexit poses great opportunities for UK businesses
Speaking at a business networking event in April, the secretary of state for international trade, Liam Fox, argued there should be less focus on the negative impacts of Brexit and more on the opportunities it represents.
But a recent report by the British Chambers of Commerce is another damning indictment of the way Brexit negotiations are progressing.
The body states that of the top 27 real-world questions businesses are asking about Brexit, the Government has made limited progress on two of them, and none at all on the rest.
Read more: Talking Brexit and business in Bristol
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