Delay Brexit if no trade deal is struck urge business chiefs

The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) also called for firms to be allowed freedom to continue recruiting skilled and low-skilled workers from the European Union even after the UK has broken away from Brussels.

Prime Minister Theresa May has pledged to trigger Article 50 by the end of March and hopes to complete a trade deal alongside the agreement on the divorce from the EU.

The BCC said concluding both parts of the deal within the two years allowed by Article 50 would be the “ideal outcome” but “should this prove impossible, we should seek an extension to the negotiating period to enable completion of both agreements concurrently”.

A transitional deal, which has been spoken about as a possibility by politicians on both sides of the English Channel, is only desirable if completing both strands of the negotiations simultaneously proves impossible, the BCC said.

The BCC also called for an immigration system “with minimal bureaucracy, costs or barriers” after Brexit, with EU workers exempted from the Tier 2 visa system for skilled workers.

Amid speculation about the regime ministers will impose to reduce net migration, the BCC said if workers from the EU were to be covered by restrictions, they should be “simple and light-touch” and “allow businesses to hire staff at any skill level”.

The report noted concerns in sectors such as agriculture and hospitality, which have relied on low-skilled workers from EU countries to fill vacancies.

The group’s recommendations for Brexit, based on feedback from more than 400 businesses at focus groups, along with nearly 20,000 responses to surveys, also include:

:: Giving certainty on the residence rights of existing EU workers - a top priority in the negotiations for Mrs May

:: Minimising trade tariffs, with moves to avoid costly and burdensome non-tariff barriers

:: Developing new customs procedures in partnership with business and considering the creation of free trade zones around major British ports, allowing goods to be brought in, assembled and re-exported without any red tape or duty being paid

:: Ensuring stability by incorporating existing EU regulations into UK law and maintaining these for a minimum period following Brexit while keeping product standards aligned with, and recognised by, the EU

:: Avoiding a “hard border” between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland

The BCC’s director general Adam Marshall said: “Business communities across the UK want practical considerations, not ideology or politics, at the heart of the Government’s approach to Brexit negotiations.

“What’s debated in Westminster often isn’t what matters for most businesses. Most firms care little about the exact process for triggering Article 50, but they care a lot about an unexpected VAT hit to their cash flow, sudden changes to regulation, the inability to recruit the right people for the job, or if their products are stopped by customs authorities at the border.