Norfolk businesses urgently need answers to the many no-deal Brexit scenario questions. Today, Norfolk Chamber has officially written to all our MPs asking for their support in Westminster to get answers to those questions.
- Brandon Lewis – MP for Great Yarmouth
- Chloe Smith – MP for Norwich North
- Clive Lewis – MP for Norwich South
- Elizabeth Truss – MP for South West Norfolk
- George Freeman – MP for Mid Norfolk
- Sir Henry Bellingham – MP for North West Norfolk
- Keith Simpson – MP for Broadland
- Norman Lamb – MP for North Norfolk
- Richard Bacon – MP for South Norfolk
Each MP will receive a letter with the below text, together with a list of the unanswered questions:
“I write today on behalf of Norfolk Chamber of Commerce and the business communities across Norfolk to highlight the critical questions that remain unanswered for business in the unwelcome event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal on March 29.
To be clear, UK businesses do not want a messy and disorderly exit from the EU. However, given that ‘no-deal’ remains a possibility, firms need clear answers on the terms of trade they would face in that scenario.
With less than two months to go, businesses still do not have the information they need to plan effectively for the UK leaving the EU without a withdrawal agreement and transition period. Many of the most basic questions remain unanswered, and we have set these out in the document attached.
Norfolk Chamber has been working closely with the British Chambers of Commerce and have campaigned strongly for official guidance – and we have, where possible, welcomed the technical notices, partnership packs and other details of ‘no-deal’ planning as a result.
Yet there are still many areas where businesses have no firm guidance at all. This is especially true in the case of international trade, where the bulk of the questions attached outline the many uncertainties faced by business in this scenario.
Questions include, will businesses be able to move skilled staff members between the UK and the EU after 29 March and if so, under what conditions? And will existing trade agreements be rolled over or replaced on a bilateral basis in time to prevent the loss of preferences and customs facilitations?
Many of the unanswered questions reflect fundamental aspects of how companies operate. For instance, the terms of trade agreements can affect pricing decisions, margins and even choice of business location and the geography of supply chains. The absence of clarity and precision has already stifled investment and growth and it is getting worse the closer we get, resulting in unnecessary costs, inability to plan and, increasingly, loss of business as customers look elsewhere.
It is clear that the UK is not prepared for a ‘no deal’ exit from the EU on March 29. Firms are being asked to prepare for all scenarios but simply aren’t being given the tools to do so.
On behalf of Norfolk Chamber and the business community, we ask that you raise this with the Government as a matter of urgency and consider the steps that you can take to avoid ‘no deal’ on 29th March.”
