AT A TIME of great uncertainty surrounding the UK’s future relationship with Europe, Milton Keynes Chamber of Commerce is delighted to support the British Chamber of Commerce Business Brexit Priorities report.
Brexit is unknown territory for all, however BCC evidence confirms that Europe will remain a key market for UK exporters and importers well into the future. Therefore it is imperative that the government achieves a pragmatic UK-EU deal that facilitates continued trade.
Meanwhile businesses across Milton Keynes are carrying on with their daily operations and doing all they can to ensure success. Directly-affected companies are being pragmatic and are preparing for a range of possible outcomes; as a Chamber, we continue to support our members and ensure their views on the negotiations are represented at a national level.
The BCC Brexit Priorities business blueprint for the UK government, released at the end of February ahead of the negotiations, puts forward priorities for action across areas where we believe business communities want practical solutions and certainty.
- Providing certainty on the residence rights of their existing EU workers and clarity on hiring from EU countries;
- Minimising tariffs;
- Seeking to maintain the UK’s position as an entry point for global businesses to Europe;
- Guaranteeing that HM Revenue & Customs is appropriately resourced to help businesses through the transition process;
- Ensuring stability by incorporating existing EU regulations into UK law and maintaining these for a minimum period following Brexit.
It is vital that Westminster acts transparently and quickly to avoid any further unnecessary angst for local businesses which are trying to focus on getting trade right in their own markets and industries and trying to ignore Brexit and its possible implications until such time as there are more known factors to consider.
Most firms simply want to know how the decisions made in the corridors of power will affect them – perhaps with an unexpected VAT hit to their cashflow, sudden changes to regulation, the inability to recruit the right people for the job or if their products are stopped by customs authorities at the border.
This report brings those practical priorities together and urges the government to adopt them in the forthcoming negotiations.
We will continue to support local businesses however possible during the Brexit process and beyond as we all navigate the unknown together, in the hope that the transition will allow all international traders to successfully continue their business around the world.
