Businesses hoping Brexit talks bring certainty to a year of instability
BREXIT talks are set to begin tomorrow, almost exactly a year after the EU referendum result.
Brexit talks are set to begin tomorrow
This will come as a massive relief to businesses, who will be hoping that 12 months of uncertainty will finally give way to something more concrete.
There is no doubt that Britain enters these talks in a weakened state after Prime Minister Theresa May’s election trauma.
It does not help that every economic setback is now being blamed on Brexit.
If the UK economy slows, Brexit is to blame. If inflation rises, blame Brexit. If wages stagnate, you know the culprit.
This blame game helps nobody, especially since in many cases the accusations are not true.
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The US economy is also slowing, and nobody blames Brexit for that.
There is no doubt that Britain enters these talks in a weakened state
The dip in the pound following the referendum last June did push up the price of imported goods, but the sterling sell-off gathered pace only when a panicking Bank of England cut interest rates to 0.25 per cent and unleashed yet more stimulus in August.
Imported goods went up in price when a panicking Bank of England cut interest rates
Wages have been stagnating ever since the financial crisis and economists blame that on poor UK productivity, a problem long before the vote to leave.
What businesses need now are calm heads and above all, clarity.
Theresa May enters these talks after a traumatic election
It does not help that every economic setback is now being blamed on Brexit
Whether we are facing a hard, soft, clean or red-white-and-blue Brexit, UK Plc needs to be kept up to speed. It can cope with almost anything, except uncertainty.
Let the talks begin, and please, let business know what to expect.