Speed up talks say Germans

LEADING German companies with major UK investments yesterday added their voices to calls for Brexit talks with the EU to speed up.

Dr Bernd Atenstaedt, chairman and chief executive of German Industry UK, also hopes Chancellor Angela Merkel’s expected election victory will free her to inject vital momentum into the sluggish negotiating process.

The trade body represents 250 companies which sell and manufacture in the UK, employing 250,000 people, including giants like Siemens, BMW, Volkswagen, E.On and Airbus.

Britain is the third most important market for German business worldwide after America and France, and in total some 2,500 German-controlled companies operate in the UK employing 500,000 people.

German Industry UK was last night meeting Brexit minister Robin Walker to back calls for swift agreement on tariff-free trade between Britain and the EU. They also want urgent clarification on post-Brexit rights of EU citizens working for them in the UK.

Dr Atenstaedt told the Daily Express: “All of us in industry want these negotiations to go as swiftly as possible and to get some clarity, because what we really want is clarity for our investment decisions.”