NEWS | EDITOR’S NOTE | ANALYSIS | INTERVIEW
British manufacturers are making preparations for a No Deal Brexit and are looking at their options outside of the EU, finds a new study by Sheffield Hallam University and SSG Insight. Anna Tobin reports
Harnessing Brexit, Technology and Insight: British Manufacturers, a Competitive Edge in an Age of Uncertainty and Opportunity is the title of a new report…
A stark reduction in EU nationals entering the UK coincides with a significant drop in suitable job applicants finds a survey by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and The Adecco Group. Anna Tobin reports
The latest quarterly Labour Market Outlook from the CIPD and The Adecco Group, based on a survey of 2,001 employers, has found that pay rises will be stable at 2% for most workers…
The British summer fruits industry is concerned that the Government is not doing enough to safeguard the supply of seasonal agricultural workers from the EU post-Brexit. Anna Tobin reports…
The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) has warned that Britain would run out of food within a year if it was forced to be self-sufficient. Anna Tobin reports
The president of the NFU Minette Batters has warned the Government that a year today, 7 August 2019, is the day that Britain would run out of food if…
The Government has just published guidance notes on what the Brexit implementation period means for those in the life sciences industries. Anna Tobin reports
The guidance notes published August 6, 2018, show that as those in the sector are already aware, the impact of Brexit on life sciences is going to be significant, but the implementation period brings some breathing space…
Ofcom-licensed broadcasters whose channels are exported to the EU, may need to obtain individual country licenses to continue broadcasting in Europe post Brexit. Anna Tobin reports
Those Ofcom-licensed broadcasters who broadcast within the EU Television companies may have to reassess which countries they transmit to after Brexit…
Brexit has been named as the prime reason that 93% of UK businesses claim to be expecting a fall in revenues in 2019, according to a survey by MHR Analytics. Anna Tobin reports
Specialist provider of business intelligence and analytics solutions MHR Analytics used independent polling company Censuswide…
A survey by international payments provider Currencies Direct has found that the majority of UK SMEs are looking at international expansion as a way of growing their business as a result of Brexit. Anna Tobin reports
Currencies Direct’s research showed that 84% of UK SMEs are looking at international expansion and 57% thought that international trade generally offered more opportunities than challenges…
Research by immigration law firm Migrate UK states that companies are paying up to £100,000 in incentives in a bid to keep EU workers on their payroll. Anna Tobin reports
Migrate UK surveyed one thousand HR Directors from organisations who employ over 250 EU workers in the UK. The survey completed between June 21 and 22 2018 found that of those polled, 66% struggled to recruit staff with the sufficient skills since the Brexit referendum. This rose to 86% for banking, 83% for finance and 79% for IT sectors…
Today, July 25, 2018, the UK Government published an employer toolkit that is designed to equip employers with the necessary tools and information required to support their employees who are EU citizens and their families through the EU Settlement Scheme. Anna Tobin reports
The online toolkit available here includes six documents…
Leading food policy experts are warning the UK government, the food industry and the public that the political uncertainties surrounding Brexit could threaten the safety and integrity of food being sold and consumed in the UK and exported abroad. Anna Tobin reports…
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) warns in its July 2018 Country Report that the UK’s departure from the EU will negatively impact both sides. Anna Tobin reports
The latest Country Report from the IMF looks at how integrated the UK is now with the EU and then given this relationship it assesses how different Brexit scenarios will impact on the UK and EU members…
In a bid to help businesses in the EU make the necessary changes and get ready for Brexit, the European Commission has published a factsheet detailing how businesses in the EU27 can prepare for Britain exiting the Union. Anna Tobin reports
Seven Things Businesses in the EU27 Need to Know in Order to Prepare for Brexit is the title of the European Commission’s factsheet and it recommends the following…
UK pharmaceutical bodies have welcomed the news that Parliament has voted in favour of amendment NC17 to the Brexit Trade Bill, which will make it a negotiating objective for the UK Government to seek the UK’s participation in the European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) European medicines regulatory network. Anna Tobin reports
Arla, Britain’s largest dairy business, warns that Brexit could result in less choice, higher prices and lower food standards as a result of border changes. Anna Tobin reports
Arla Foods UK, the country’s largest dairy company, has warned that if Brexit were to result in non-tariff barriers to trade and restricted access to labour, it would have a huge impact on the country’s dairy industry…
The Royal Town Planning Institute has published a briefing paper produced in conjunction with the sustainability think tank the Institute for European Environmental Policy, looking at how different Brexit scenarios could affect land use in the UK. It indicates that environmental regulations could become heavily diluted. Anna Tobin reports
A survey by the Institute of Export and International Trade has found that 39.75% of UK exporters would like the UK to stay in the Single Market following Brexit. Anna Tobin reports
A Brexit survey of the Institute of Export and International Trade has found that two years on from the referendum 39.75% of UK exporters said that continued membership of the Single Market was of the highest possible importance, scoring it ten out of ten. This has increased year-on-year from 33.6% in 2017…
The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) has created a tool to help farmers assess the impact that Brexit could have on their business. Anna Tobin reports
The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) has designed the Brexit Impact Calculator to forecast how different Brexit scenarios could impact on farming businesses.
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has issued a warm response to the UK Government’s Brexit White Paper and pushes the government to move quickly now. Anna Tobin reports
In a statement published in response to the UK government’s White Paper on the future of the relationship between the UK and the EU, Carolyn Fairbairn, director-general of the CBI, said…
One of the UK’s largest providers of professional services KPMG UK has issued a statement responding to the UK government’s White Paper on the future of the relationship between the UK and the EU. Anna Tobin reports
In response to the UK government’s Brexit White Paper, James Stewart, KPMG UK’s head of Brexit said: ‘Most businesses will welcome today’s White Paper…
Things are looking up for SMEs in financial services and manufacturing, but SMEs that export to the EU have a tough road ahead finds the Quarter 2, 2018 SME Growth Tracker. Anna Tobin reports
A survey by international payments company OFX embargoed until today, July 10, 2018, but carried out prior to the recent cabinet reshuffle, finds that SMEs are now more positive about Brexit than they were when surveyed a year ago. Anna Tobin reports
The key findings of the OFX annual survey of 500 UK small business owners and senior managers at businesses with between 10 and 249 employees. found that SMEs are starting to feel more positive about international trade, particularly within Western Europe.
Professor Doctor Ralf Speth, the CEO of Jaguar Land Rover has urged the UK government to provide clarity on Brexit. Anna Tobin reports
The CEO of Britain’s largest car manufacturer issued a statement July 4, 2018 calling on the UK government to rapidly provide certainty for business and to guarantee tariff-free access and frictionless trade with the European Union.
The British Chambers of Commerce has found that there are a number of Brexit questions that businesses want the government to answer. Anna Tobin takes a look at the concerns causing them to raise their hands
The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has devised a traffic-light system for assessing the answers to key questions British businesses have on Brexit.
Professional services multinational PwC has released a report looking at how Brexit could impact on the pharmaceutical and life sciences industries and it highlights a number of key points, reports Anna Tobin
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and the Trades Union Congress (TUC) have come together to urge the UK government and the EU to guarantee citizens’ rights after March 29, 2019. The two organisations represent millions of public and private sector workers and 190,000 businesses.
In a joint statement Frances O’Grady, general secretary of the TUC and Carolyn Fairbairn, director-general of the CBI, said: ‘After 15 months of human poker, the uncertainty facing four million European and UK citizens has become intolerable.
If the UK leaves the EU on 29 March 2019 without an agreed trade deal, businesses that export from the UK or import into the UK will have to operate under World Trade Organization (WTO) rules. Anna Tobin explains what this means
The European Banking Authority (EBA) warns financial institutions that they must make contingency plans for a No Deal Brexit, reports Anna Tobin
The European Banking Authority is an independent EU Authority charged with ensuring effective and consistent prudential regulation and supervision across the Europe’s banks and financial institutions. Today, June 25, 2018, it highlighted its concern that financial institutions are failing to make contingency plans to cover themselves should the UK leave the EU without a ratified withdrawal agreement…
Airbus has issued a warning that a No Deal Brexit could pose a serious risk to its business, reports Anna Tobin
In a statement, the European aerospace manufacturer said: ‘The UK exiting the EU next year without a deal – therefore leaving both the single market and customs union immediately and without any agreed transition – would lead to severe disruption and interruption of UK production.
Global data and analytics company Dun & Bradstreet published a report June 22, 2018, looking at the impact of Brexit two years on. While some of it makes uncomfortable reading, it has also revealed some positives, reports Anna Tobin
‘Our report Brexit: Two Years On is a pulse check in terms of where business is in the UK,’ explains Ed Thorne, managing director, Dun & Bradstreet UK. ‘Ultimately what it has revealed is that it’s an incredibly uncertain environment. Although some companies have proactively embraced Brexit, there has also been a lot of stagnation, with businesses waiting to see what is going to happen.’
The report found that 53% of business leaders feel that the impact of Brexit has been positive and 42% feel that it has been negative…
Think tank The Institute for Government (IfG) released a report on June 10, 2018, looking at how ready Whitehall is for Brexit. We take a look at the key findings:
The politicians have pushed the Brexit button. They are the people that we see and hear daily in the media trying to steer the UK on a smooth course…
The Irish government has set up a Brexit hub. “Up to date information on the Brexit negotiations brought to you by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.”
Enterprise Ireland also has a hub and self-assessment questionnaire. “Enterprise Ireland is committed to supporting its clients in preparing for the risks and opportunities that Brexit poses. Despite the uncertainty, Irish companies can and should be taking immediate action to mitigate the potential risks and position themselves to take advantage of the opportunities.”
The Netherlands has set up 3 websites to help companies and individuals understand the potential implications of Brexit. It is in Dutch, but Google can translate to your language:
Brexitloket.nl is an initiative of the national government and its implementing organizations. “On 29 March 2019 the United Kingdom will leave the European Union. Then Brexit is a fact. Do you do business with the United Kingdom? Or do you plan that? Then prepare yourself for doing business with a country outside the EU.The national government helps you with this.“
Brexit developments. “The United Kingdom wants to leave the European Union. This was officially notified to the European Union (EU) by the United Kingdom (UK) on 29 March 2017. In the two years that follow, the UK and the EU negotiate the conditions for Brexit. And about their future relationship. The UK consists of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.”
Brexit preparations. “This scan is for all companies in the Netherlands. The Brexit can hit any company, even if you do not suspect it at first. Go through the entire scan to discover unsuspected effects for your company.”
The Brexit site of the Federation of Small Businesses aims to “ensure our members get the best deal out of Brexit”. 4 reports produced in March – July 2017 are also available for download:
An important article in the Harvard Business Review which suggests:
“Only a minority of firms are well ahead in planning and preparing a UK market strategy. At the recent Brexit Workshop we held for clients — in this case, 19 UK heads of some of the world’s largest multinational firms — 10 of them had not started or had only just begun planning for Brexit.“
A new Report from the British Chambers of Commerce urges businesses to begin preparing now for Brexit, and suggests “Business needs to look hard at how they will operate under new conditions in the future”.
This major new Report from the CBI provides an A to Z of the rules that will matter after the transition period. From architects to zoos, it outlines the regulatory needs of 23 industry and service sectors.
Download CBI ‘An A-Z of the EU rules that matter for the economy’,
or visit the dedicated CBI webpage
All publications from the UK House of Commons Select Committee on Exiting the EU are available here
https://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/exiting-the-european-union-committee/publications/
All publications from the UK House of Lords Select Committee on Exiting the EU are available here
https://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/lords-select
The summer is over, and the UK government now has the job of deciding its objectives for the Brexit negotiations. These, like all major negotiations, will no doubt be long and difficult. They will also inevitably create major uncertainty for companies, investors and individuals as they progress. I have personally led major negotiations in a [...]
The UK economy set off into the Great Unknown in March 2017, when premier Theresa May officially notified the European Union of the UK’s intention to leave (Brexit) by the end of March 2019. In response, the EU released its draft guidelines for the negotiations: “The first phase of the negotiations should aim to agree on a divorce settlement on [...]