CBI responds to latest UK/EU negotiations

Josh Hardie, CBI Deputy Director-General, said:

“An ambitious deal with the EU will be a cornerstone of the UK’s recovery from the pandemic. Progress is worryingly slow, causing deep concern to firms when resilience has rarely been more fragile.

“The stark reality is that most businesses are understandably unprepared for a dramatic change in trading relations with our biggest partner in just six months’ time. With jobs in every region of the U.K. and EU under pressure, the stakes are higher than ever.

“A deal that works for both sides economies is the only way forward. Political leaders should step in urgently, change the dynamic and find solutions that protect people’s livelihoods. Failure to break the deadlock only leaves a choice between an extension that the UK Government has already ruled out or worse, a deeply damaging no deal.”