13 January 2020

Financial Times: CBI urges government to include business in post-Brexit trade talks

Businesses need to be brought into the UK’s post-Brexit trade talks with the EU and US, according to Britain’s largest employers’ group, which has drawn up a series of recommendations to try to influence upcoming negotiations.

In a report published on Monday, the CBI calls on the UK government to ensure it works with businesses “closely, comprehensively and transparently throughout every stage of negotiations, from mandate setting through to implementation”.

Business leaders are concerned that the UK will not move fast enough to secure a deal with the EU, its largest trading partner, before the expiry of the Brexit transition period due to end in December 2020.

Failure to do so could leave businesses facing a no-deal Brexit involving border disruption and costly tariffs, as well as uncertainty over transfer of data.

The UK is also aiming to secure a trade deal with the US when it leaves the EU, alongside agreements with other countries that are critical markets for many British companies.

The CBI said in the report that it had created a “template” for a “world-leading trade policy based on lessons from international best practice”, with engagement between government and business at its core.

“As the UK looks afresh at its post-Brexit international relationships with the EU and the rest of the world, this is the moment for government and business to work in partnership,” it added. [...]

Full article on Financial Times (subscription required)

CBI report: Building a World-Leading UK Trade Policy

© Financial Times