Reaction to triggering of Article 50

Prime Minister Theresa May is being urged to keep business needs paramount in negotiations for Britain’s exit from the EU following the triggering of Article 50.

Scott Knowles, the Chief Executive of East Midlands Chamber, said:-

“To all intents and purposes, everything that has gone before has been rhetoric – the negotiations begin in earnest today.

“In January, at her first regional Cabinet Meeting when she launched the Industrial Strategy Green Paper, Mrs May gave a strong indication that the needs of business would play a prominent part in Brexit negotiations.

“Today, we are urging her to continue to heed the voice of business throughout the negotiations to ensure the UK not only remains a great place for global investment but also so that British businesses are not disadvantaged either during talks or once Brexit is achieved.”

The Chamber has thrown its weight behind the British Chambers of Commerce’s published Brexit priorities.

Using data collated from surveys around the country, BCC set out a series of wants from business in key areas of concern, offering evidence of the importance of a business perspective for each.

All 52 accredited Chambers around the country contributed to the work using information gathered from their own Quarterly Economic Surveys.

Scott said:-

“This is a very detailed piece of work which clearly sets out the demands of business in seven key areas.

“Business is the creator of wealth and jobs and the driver of regional and national economies and, as such, it should be the loudest voice during exit negotiations.”

The BCC Business Brexit Priorities agenda lists the seven key areas as trade, customs, tax, regulations, labour market, EU funding and the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.