Manufacturers tell ministers to get their Brexit act together
A lack of clarity over the UK government's Brexit strategy risks harming investment and jobs, the CEO of manufacturers' organisation the EEF has warned in a speech to the European Parliament.
4 July 2017
A stark warning that unless the UK government radically – and quickly – clarifies its Brexit strategy, companies will face impossible decisions about investment and jobs, the head of Britain's manufacturing organisation has warned.In a speech at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Terry Scuoler, chief executive of the (EEF), said British firms would face a "tipping point" well before the scheduled end of Brexit talks in March 2019, when they would need certainty about the sort of trade arrangements that Brexit would bring.Mr Scuoler said, "UK Chancellor Philip Hammond, speaking in Germany last week, set out a vision for growth in the UK and in Europe. He was right to highlight our joint interests amid the complexity of the Brexit negotiations. Many of our industries are interconnected."UK businesses need to know soon what arrangements will be in place after March 2019, to be able to plan, make investment decisions and have confidence that an orderly and carefully managed approach to Brexit is underway."If they don’t have that assurance, there will come a tipping point, sometime in 2018, when boards in the UK and elsewhere will need to make decisions based on the state of the negotiations at that point. They cannot wait until the end of the process for confirmation of a deal on our departure or future trading relationship."They need to know much sooner what transitional arrangements will be in place, and for how long. A failure to do so will damage our collective economic interests, a situation which would be as tragic as it would harmful."
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The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) said the letter suggested that the government was prepared to adopt a "pragmatic" approach to Brexit.Mike Thompson, ABPI chief executive, said, "This letter is a welcome recognition that the future of medicines regulation is a key priority for the government as we negotiate a new relationship with the EU."It also signals a readiness to take a pragmatic approach to Brexit negotiations that puts people's health first. This is a great first step and we look forward to seeing more detail in the coming weeks and months."If patients in Europe are to continue to get safe and effective medicines in a timely fashion, the focus must be on agreeing regulatory partnership between the UK and the EU."The time frames we need to meet to ensure no disruption or delay mean that confirmation of a reciprocal approach from the EU would provide welcome certainty to more than 500 million patients."
Read David Sapsted's article on Establishing Right to Remain – which discusses the uncertainty over immigration which the UK faces following Brexit – in the Summer 2017 issue of Relocate Magazine.
For related news and features, visit our Brexit section.
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UK pharmaceutical industry reassured
Coinciding with Mr Scuoler's speech was publication of a letter from two UK cabinet ministers in which they attempted to assure the UK pharmaceutical industry that the nation would retain a "close working relationship" with the EU after Brexit.Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Business Secretary Greg Clark were reacting to fears that the industry would be deprived of a Europe-wide regulatory regime after Brexit.The letter said, "The UK is fully committed to continuing the close working relationship with our European partners. Our aim is to ensure that patients in the UK and across the EU continue to be able to access the best and most innovative medicines and be assured that their safety is protected through the strongest regulatory framework and sharing of data."The ministers said their three principles for the Brexit process were that "patients should not be disadvantaged; innovators should be able to get their products into the UK market as quickly and simply as possible; and we continue to play a leading role promoting public health".Read more on Brexit:
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The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) said the letter suggested that the government was prepared to adopt a "pragmatic" approach to Brexit.Mike Thompson, ABPI chief executive, said, "This letter is a welcome recognition that the future of medicines regulation is a key priority for the government as we negotiate a new relationship with the EU."It also signals a readiness to take a pragmatic approach to Brexit negotiations that puts people's health first. This is a great first step and we look forward to seeing more detail in the coming weeks and months."If patients in Europe are to continue to get safe and effective medicines in a timely fashion, the focus must be on agreeing regulatory partnership between the UK and the EU."The time frames we need to meet to ensure no disruption or delay mean that confirmation of a reciprocal approach from the EU would provide welcome certainty to more than 500 million patients."
Read David Sapsted's article on Establishing Right to Remain – which discusses the uncertainty over immigration which the UK faces following Brexit – in the Summer 2017 issue of Relocate Magazine.
For related news and features, visit our Brexit section.
Access hundreds of global services and suppliers in our Online Directory
Get access to our free Global Mobility Toolkit
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