UK manufacturers condemn ‘no deal’ Brexit mantra

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Loss of access to the single market and the customs union will condemn the UK manufacturing sector to a painful and costly Brexit, industry body EEF has warned.

In a briefing paper published today (27th March) the group says that any suggestion that ‘no deal is better than a bad deal’ is unacceptable to an industry that accounts for 45 per cent of all UK exports.

Urging the government to clarify its position on the customs union and customs arrangements, EEF says that should the UK walk away with no preferential access to the EU or international markets in place it would immediately find itself at a loss, with the UK’s manufacturing sector bearing much of the brunt.

The sector would be particularly vulnerable because the UK is currently the 9th largest industrial nation in the world, but its strength is underpinned by its trading relationship with the EU - 52 per cent of all manufactured exports by value went to the EU in the 12 months to April 2016.

The sector’s trading relationship with the EU is tightly interwoven and complex pan-European supply chains are commonplace, with some EEF members reporting that their production processes criss-cross European borders numerous times.

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