Brexit is the new normal – and we have to seize the day

it is now just our new ‘normal’. The Prime Minister has warned Brexit will not be plain sailing, and that we should be prepared for some difficult times ahead.

At the same time she also ruled out a snap election, effectively guaranteeing that the country will not go to the polls again until 2020 as planned. She also confirmed that Article 50 would not be triggered and that formal talks around how the European exit process works would not begin until 2017.

These timeframes underscore just why the next few months are so important for the region.

We have a very tangible positive momentum in Birmingham and the wider area right now, and we need to make sure that is communicated not just to Westminster and the rest of the country, but the rest of the world.

That will ensure we are as best placed as possible for what lies ahead, and that the good ship West Midlands is as robust and well stocked as possible.

We should feel positive about our chances of achieving this. Every day as you walk or drive around Birmingham city centre you can see the landscape of the city changing for the better, as civic treasures such as Town Hall and Victoria Square become ever more visible and the development around Paradise starts to take shape.

The city centre feels as though it is starting to come together more and make sense, ridding itself of the concrete jungle moniker that has dogged Birmingham for too long.

And that’s before you even consider the emerging economic benefits the developments will bring to the region, or the raft of further development taking place away from the city centre.

Early next month, the Conservative Party conference comes to Birmingham, giving us a fantastic opportunity to showcase what a vibrant, modern and changing city we are becoming to politicians and the world’s media.

Shortly afterwards, phase 1 of HS2 should finally receive Royal Assent, allowing a project that will play a key role in underpinning the region’s sustained economic growth.

With our ability to trade internationally becoming increasingly important post referendum, it is pleasing to see the region seizing the moment and launching a series of overseas trade missions, under the ‘Midlands Engine’ banner.

I will be going on the first of these this month to North America, and another will follow in October to China, as we collectively start the process of making sure the world knows what a fantastic place the Midlands is to do business.

Places on these trips are open to all local businesses and I would urge anyone with an interest to reach out and find out more.

Closer to home, one can only hope that the strides the city council has made are recognised and the Improvement Panel finally steps away and allows the process of change in the Council House to continue without the whiff of concern that its presence implies.

In the coming months the West Midlands Combined Authority mayoral campaign will kick into life, as the other parties announce their candidates to challenge Labour’s Sion Simon.

There is an awful lot more that can and will be said about the metro mayor, but there is no doubt that the successful candidate will play a critical role in shaping the region’s future.

So, don’t get too focused on planning Christmas – the coming months are crucial, and it is vital all of us in the region work together to ensure we build on the positive changes already taking place so that we are best placed to handle and make the most of whatever the future will bring. Paul Faulkner is chief executive of Greater Birmingham Chambers of

Commerce