Business fears go ‘through the roof’

UNCERTAINTY facing British businesses has gone ‘through the roof’ as the delay over Brexit continues, the governor of the Bank of England said yesterday.

Mark Carney said the protracted process of leaving the EU is harming investment and poses long-term challenges.

Speaking in Washington DC, where the annual spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund are being held, Mr Carney said the risk of a No Deal exit had been reduced after Theresa May agreed a six-month delay with EU leaders.

But he added that politicians may now take some time to find a way forward on Brexit. He said: ‘It produces a window of time for a political process ... to forge a consensus within the House of Commons around the form of agreement. We will see how that time is used.

‘Right up until yesterday it could be argued that the UK had run out of time to forge that consensus... there are crossparty talks to try to find that and that may take some time.’

Businesses would be ‘deeply concerned’ if Boris Johnson became Prime Minister, an industry leader warned yesterday. CBI chief Carolyn Fairbairn said many bosses were shocked Mr Johnson reportedly said ‘f*** business’ when asked about firms’ worries over Brexit in a meeting last year.

She added: ‘ What rings in our ears is his famous expletive. That was just an enormous shock.’