Business and union leaders from across the UK and Europe have joined forces to demand the government and EU inject “pace and urgency” into the Brexit negotiations.
The CBI and TUC urged faster progress in discussions – which remain mired in stalemate – to finalise details of Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union and the transitional arrangements.
The organisations, which represent 45 million workers and 20 million employers across Europe, said in a joint statement: “We are calling on the UK Government and the EU to inject pace and urgency in the negotiations, bringing about measurable progress, in particular a backstop arrangement to avoid a hard border in Ireland.
“Decisions will be needed in June and October to finalise the withdrawal agreement and the transitional arrangement, and put economic interests and people’s jobs, rights and livelihoods first.
“The UK Government and the EU will need to agree on all aspects of regulatory alignment, which is of the utmost importance, without jeopardising the integrity of the single market.”
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The latest call for clarity over Britain’s future trading position with the EU comes less than 24 hours after the EU (Withdrawal) Bill received royal assent from the Queen – officially becoming law.
It also comes a day after car manufacturers urged Prime Minister Theresa May to rethink her position on the customs union as figures showed investment in Britain’s motor industry had halved during the first half of this year compared with the same period in 2017.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) warned more than 850,000 jobs across the sector are at risk because of Brexit.
Earlier this week, German carmaker BMW – which employs almost 8,000 people and has four plants in the UK – warned it cannot manufacture its products in the UK if Brexit means its supply chain is disrupted.
Passenger jet maker Airbus has also warned it could also pull out of the UK with the loss of thousands of jobs if Britain crashes out of the EU without a deal.
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A Government spokesman said: “We have put forward workable proposals to the EU on a range of areas from the backstop to security, and the White Paper – which will be published after June Council – will continue to drive this process forward. We are confident that we can make progress if both the EU and UK engage constructively.”
Shadow business secretary Rebecca Long Bailey said: “The Tories have spent over two years botching Brexit by bickering amongst themselves rather than negotiating a sensible deal with the EU which protects jobs and living standards.
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“Time is running out. Businesses, consumers and workers need certainty, not endless chaos, egos and melodrama.
“The Government must put an end to the deadlock which is paralysing our country and our economy.”
Source: Sky