Shropshire firms running out of patience with Brexit talks

Richard Sheehan, chief executive of Shropshire Chamber of Commerce, said the lack of information being provided to companies from the Government is preventing many to plan for the future.

He echoed the comments made by the British Chambers of Commerce(BCC), which said companies still face uncertainty over tax, tariffs, customs and regulation, with time running out ahead of the the March 29 2019 Brexit date.

Mr Sheehan said: "The issue for businesses is they are running out of patience.

"The feedback we are getting in a lot of cases is they are getting increasingly frustrated. People need to put in place plans and uncertainty puts on hold future activity.

"We are two years down the line and we are approaching the finishing line. We appreciate negotiations are taking place and a lot of effort is being made. But businesses feel they are not being provided with enough information in order to understand what the future looks like.

"A lot of businesses have rolled up their sleeves, got on with it and feel like they will deal with whatever they will have to face. We have already seen the resilience demonstrated by businesses in Shropshire during the recession period of 2009.

"Others need to know what is going on in order to plan in terms of their relationship with the supply chain and access to customers, old and new.

"The business community is uneasy because it is receiving a lack of clarity from the Government.

"It needs to get on with it. It is representing us and negotiating on behalf of us. They need to take into consideration the business community every step of the way.

"We need clear and concise information as soon as possible because businesses need certainty to be able to plan ahead."

Cabinet ministers were urged by the BCC to "stop squabbling" and put the nation's economic interests first in reaching agreement at the crunch Chequers meeting on Friday as business patience reaches "breaking point".

The BCC's intervention comes after warnings from firms including Airbus and BMW about Brexit were dismissed by Cabinet ministers including Jeremy Hunt and Liam Fox.

The group listed 24 main concerns, and gave a red rating to all but two – which received an amber grade on the traffic-light scale.

BCC director-general Adam Marshall said: "Over the past two years, businesses have been patient.

"We have supported the Government's drive to seek the best possible deal for the UK economy.

"We have given time, expertise and real-world experience to support hard-pressed Civil Service negotiators.

"We have convened all across the UK to ensure that every business community's Brexit concerns can be heard by elected representatives and officials.

"Now, with the time running out ahead of the UK's exit from the EU, business patience is reaching breaking point.

"Businesses have every right to speak out when it is abundantly clear that the practical questions affecting the competitiveness of their firms and the livelihoods of millions of people remain unanswered.

"With less than nine months go to until Brexit day, we are little closer to the answers businesses need than we were the day after the referendum.

"It's time for politicians to stop the squabbling and the Westminster point-scoring – and start putting the national economic interest first.

"These are not 'siren voices' or special interests. They are the practical, real-world concerns of businesses of every size and sector, in every part of the UK."

The BCC said the uncertainty was causing a "significant slowdown" in business investment, with many firms making contingency plans or considering alternatives to sinking cash into the UK.