Talking Brexit and business in Bristol

“The press needs to focus less on the negative impact of Brexit and start to focus on the opportunities it presents.”

This was the message from a business networking event at Leigh Court that featured speeches from the secretary of state for international trade, Liam Fox, and Ajith Jayawickrema, the Bristol entrepreneur behind Las Iguanas and Turtle Bay.

Delegates packed into Leigh Court

Leaving aside the fact that vast sways of the influential mainstream press campaigned fiercely for Britain to leave the EU, it was a message that seemed to resonate with the majority of business leaders and traders attending Friday’s event.

Ajith Jayawickrema

Jayawickrema kicked off the speeches with a tale of how we managed to forge two successful businesses against a backdrop of economic downturn and warned against blaming all of the high street’s struggles on Brexit, saying: “There are bigger storms to weather and this could be an opportunity.”

Taking to the podium, Fox delivered a statistic-heavy speech to a largely supportive audience in a side room of the mansion house.

“It’s a vast opportunity and we have got to get our economy and our people to think on this [global] level.

“Last year, global trade grew by 3.7 per cent, UK exports grew by 11.2 per cent. We have also seen our manufacturing exports do particularly well.

“Trade policy is the only bit of my department the press ever wants to talk about, but the global economy is rich in opportunity.”

Liam Fox was keen to focus on the positive economic progress made in the last year

Speaking in the wake of growing concern about the impact of Brexit, which led to the formation of The Three Chamber Alliance, a collaboration involving Business West, London Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, the Tory MP was keen to placate worried business leaders.

He spoke of the huge venture capital investments in the tech sector, the “rise of the middle class markets”, which view British goods and services as hallmarks of excellence and overcoming access barriers facing SMEs.

“I want to see British companies becoming global brands,” added Fox. “It’s a very exciting place for the UK to be.”

The MP for North Somerset, demonstrated his confidence in Bristol’s booming economy in October last year, when he chose the city as the location for the first Board of Trade meeting in 30 years.

And his positive tone struck a chord with many attendees, a number of whom hung around to get a selfie after the speeches.

Consultant Kizzy Harris with Juliet Winter, who is about to set up her own business

“I wanted to understand more about the challenges my clients will be facing,” said Kizzy Harris, who owns a training and coaching consultancy. “But it made me think, why am I limiting myself to just the UK?”

Accountant Jacob Bray at the business networking event in Leigh Court

Voiceover artist Chas Rowe with Rhea Campbell-smith

“I think there is too much focus on negatives in the press and there are actually many opportunities out there,” said accountant Jacob Bray. “It’s about going out and grabbing the bull by the horns.”

Voiceover artist Chas Rowe agreed, saying: “The world is open for business, we just need to take advantage of it.”

While there was little in the way of debate, the event – a precursor to the Business Showcase South West at Ashton Court on May 16 – certainly offered attendees food for thought.

Liam Fox chats to attendees after the speeches

Read more: ‘We are suffering from Brexit blight in the UK market’