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POLITICS INSIDE


Chris Leslie, MP for Nottingham East, looks at the impact Brexit will have on local businesses


Free trade agreement must be a priority


As I write this column on a flight returning to the East Midlands from a series of meetings in Berlin, I’m struck by the impact that Brexit will have on businesses large and small across the region. Now that Article 50 is triggered, the two year negotiation process ought to salvage as


many of the benefits of Single Market access for the UK as possible. But my conversations with policy makers in Germany don’t fill me with massive confidence. Why? Because while our departure from the European Union is near all-consuming for


of Policy at the Chamber, said data from the Quarterly Economic Survey for the first three months of 2017 showed the local economy was “robust” with, for example, a 29-point positive variance for companies reporting improved sales when compared with the final quarter of 2016. He said the initial results were also showing


that companies were investing more in training and that six-out-of-ten companies had reported trying to recruit but many were still struggling to find the right people. Stewart Segal, Strategy Director at 3aaa, one


of the largest apprenticeship providers in the country, said: “If you look at the ten pillars, they are all good but the one important to all businesses will be the one on skills. In my view, if you get the skills bit right the rest will follow.” Summing up after the round-table discussions


and feedback, Scott Knowles, Chief Executive at the Chamber, said: “Skills, for us, has been a perennial issue. I think in virtually every economical survey we have ever done, skills comes right at the very top of business concerns. Digital skills are very important. Science and research are also very important, particularly for Derby because of the high-tech nature of the city, and social skills are clearly lacking.” He also said it was evident from the feedback


from delegates at the meeting that procurement, competition and inward investment remained areas of concern, as was infrastructure. “HS2 will improve north-south rail capacity but


it’s important for the country that we have good east-west links as well,” he said, referencing recently launched efforts led by the Chamber to improve services on the Derby, Stoke-on-Trent, Crewe rail link, which also features in the Midlands Connect strategy, launched in March. Concluding, Scott said: “The consultation on


the Industrial Strategy Green Paper closes on 17 April. If you want to respond directly then please do so, but contributions to the Chamber’s response are also important as they help us to shape future policy.”


our domestic media and politicians, for many in the other 27 countries it is just one of several challenges they see, in a basket alongside Trump’s changing attitude to Europe, the Putin question in Russia and big elections coming in the months ahead. British manufacturers have grown


‘Businesses in the East Midlands will need to watch closely the twists and turns of the negotiation process’


used to tariff-free, frictionless borders where Europe has acted like a giant warehouse offering a rich supply chain of components, supporting just-in-time business strategies. Adding tariffs to some of those transactions or delays to process imported parts could radically alter the calculus of those business models. Many firms will try to cope and absorb costs, but this is hard when competing to export into a market without these obstacles. So a free trade agreement with the EU must be a priority; whatever the hype from


some of our leading Brexiteers, crashing out into World Trade Organisation rules would be a real blow. The Germans – who prize EU values and cooperation – are quite clear that anyone


leaving membership cannot be seen to prosper by doing so, as this would put at risk the entire cohesion of the Union. So I am also worried about services and regulations that could place barriers in the way for 80% of our economy which doesn’t manufacture – the law firms, financial services, information technology and consulting sectors. Indeed, we may not see a settlement fully achieved in the breakneck speed of a two


year negotiation – which means a transition of possibly several years thereafter, with possibly extended uncertainty as a result. If this sounds a little ‘down beat’ I’m afraid that it’s a reflection of the realities of the


international rules we can’t escape, even if we live on an island with the sixth largest economy. There was no plan for Brexit and Ministers will have to do their best, making it up as they go along. After all, no country has left the EU in such circumstances before. So businesses in the East Midlands will need to watch closely the twists and turns of


the negotiation process, in order to prepare as best they can. Will the Government compromise in order to get a free trade deal? Will the UK crash out of the article 50 process sooner than expected? I will be trying my best to fight for a positive deal – and talking to contacts across the continent to shape this process as best I can. But I have a feeling that the EU27 will be treating the UK not entirely on an economic basis; politics and the viability of the wider EU will be their priority.


ABOUT CHRIS LESLIE Chris Leslie was a Councillor on Bradford Council 1994-1998 and in 1997 was elected Member of Parliament for Shipley, overturning a Conservative majority of 12,000. He held positions in the Labour Government, including Ministerial posts in the Department for Constitutional Affairs, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Cabinet Office. He narrowly lost his seat in 2005 and then became Director of the New Local


Government Network, a local government research organisation campaigning for the devolution of power from Whitehall to local authorities. He was elected Member of Parliament for Nottingham East in 2010 and has held the


posts of Shadow Treasury Minister, Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury and Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer. He now serves on the International Trade Select Committee.


business network April 2017 25


WESTMINSTER


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