In the event of a no-deal Brexit, or a withdrawal from the customs union, it will make no commercial sense to manufacture anything destined for EU markets in the UK. What's more, given the ongoing uncertainty, it can't be a shock that most affected companies are making (and in some cases executing) plans to move jobs elsewhere. It would be careless in the extreme to 'wait and see'.
It will also make no sense to have a European HQ located here, or anywhere else outside the European Union. I spent 12 years working in EHQs for two large global companies, and without the free movement of people and goods between the host country, and all the other European Union countries, these organisations simply cannot function. It wasn't unheard of to have to jump on a plane to Germany or France at few hours notice because something had hit the fan or needed to be covered. Likewise, people would descend from multiple countries into London on a daily basis. No arrangement that isn't free movement would be anything other than additional cost and inconvenience. If by locating in Amsterdam you could have free movement of your people between 27 countries and special arrangements for one, or London you'd need special arrangements for 27, and free movement for one, what would you do?
Of course the final deal might not involve any hassle or difficulty, but the point is, nobody knows at this time, and the risk of no deal seems to be growing by the day. Businesses need to plan.
This isn't Project Fear, it's common sense, and was entirely predictable from day one.
Last edited by: DP on Fri 31 Aug 18 at 12:00
|
