Unanswered questions before Brexit

“Significant unanswered questions remain for businesses. BBC DIRECTOR GENERAL ADAM MARSHALL

The government is being urged to urgently ramp up engagement with business amid a series of “unanswered questions” over Brexit.

With fewer than 100 days until the end of the Brexit transition period, the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) said there were 26 key questions that remain to be answered.

The business group said its research suggested that preparation for the coming changes was low because of the “unprecedented challenges” facing companies.

Fewer than two in five have done a Brexit risk assessment this year, compared to 57% in 2019, said the BCC.

Officials called for an immediate resumption of weekly business preparedness summits with senior ministers.

The BCC said its research suggested that firms do not know what rules of origin will apply after the transition period, preventing them and their customers from planning and potentially creating “unprecedented” new administration and costs.

It added there was no clarity on how food and drink due to be sold in the EU and Northern Ireland is to be labelled, limited guidance on the movement of goods from Britain to Northern Ireland and no information on the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, key to “levelling up” the regions and nations – despite years of calls for clarity.

BCC director general Adam Marshall said: “With just 98 days to go, business communities face the triple threat of a resurgent coronavirus, receding government support schemes, and a disorderly end to the transition period.

“Significant unanswered questions remain for businesses, and despite recent public information campaigns, base levels of preparedness are low,” he said.

“Many firms say they have heard talk of deadlines and cliff edges before, and others are still grappling with fundamental challenges as a result of the pandemic and have little cash or information with which to make any plan.

“While we recognise that some of the questions facing businesses are subject to ongoing negotiations between the government and the EU, other matters are within the UK’s own hands.

“The government must ramp up engagement with business urgently, to the levels seen prior to previous ‘no deal’ deadlines, to ensure that the realworld issues facing firms get tackled immediately.”