POLITICS


We’re now just a few short weeks away from the UK’s exit from the EU. In the three years since the referendum, there have been twists, turns, dead ends and false dawns, yet still nobody can say with any certainty what will happen after 31 October. As Brexit enters its end game, Chris Hobson, the Chamber’s Director of Policy and External Affairs, urges members to hold their nerve.


investment, trade and productivity - important indicators of economic growth. Yet despite the negativity and confusion


surrounding Brexit, businesses which have a strong and well thought out plan in place will be able to weather the storm. The UK’s business landscape is unpredictable


and fast-moving. Our businesses have, in the past, shown great


resilience, pragmatism and adaptability, which will stand them in good stead as, despite the headlines, life goes on and will continue to do so beyond Brexit. And the truth is, even at this late stage,


nobody can say with any certainty what will happen to the UK’s economy as a result. So, why hang around waiting for things that may


never materialise? One thing we’ve learned in the past is that the businesses which plan to succeed are the ones which get ahead of the curve. Over the past few years, we’ve seen massive changes to the business agenda that, although magnified through the prism of Brexit, have come about in spite of it, not because of it. The retail sector has undergone huge change


thanks to the rapid growth of online shopping and ecommerce and the high street remains under huge pressure to adapt and change, or wither and die.


‘Our businesses have, in the past, shown great resilience, pragmatism and adaptability’


There have been rapid advances in


sustainability and environmental best practice, which is having a very real and positive impact on the automotive, aerospace and rail manufacturers and their supply chains that this region is, in particular, famed for. And the rise of smart working has changed


the modern workplace beyond recognition, with remote working, agile collaboration and flexible shift patterns now commonplace as employers strive to provide their staff with a work-life balance that increases morale, improves efficiency and boosts productivity. And the EU still remains the UK’s largest


trading partner. There is still a huge appetite for British products and services in the EU, as well as a desire by EU companies to maintain strong links with their UK-based customers. That won’t change, regardless of what the


final Brexit deal looks like. History shows that wherever there are any big changes or significant shifts, they usually bring about innovation as businesses adapt to survive… and thrive.


Over the past three years, there has been a


clear need for businesses to keep calm and carry on, rather than wait for answers which may never materialise, or be a long time coming. Whatever happens with the EU, it will be


down to our Government to negotiate mutually- beneficial trade deals on behalf of the UK with the nations we want to trade with post-Brexit. However, as we’ve seen with the negotiations so


far, these things take time. This is where business needs to take ownership of its own destiny. There’s a huge amount of support available


for companies that want to take the initiative. With so many potential outcomes on the


horizon, our message to business is clear: keep it simple. Don’t get distracted by the noise. Plot your own course and stick to it. We simply don’t know what’s going to


happen, but one thing’s for certain – business will live on beyond Brexit. It’s in our gift to make sure we make the best of things, whatever happens.


business network October 2019


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