BUSINESSES in the north have more questions than answers about the current Brexit deal, the chairman of the Institute of Directors Northern Ireland has said.
Addressing more than 140 delegates at a lunch event organised by the business body in Belfast yesterday, Gordon Milligan said the UK Government’s own impact assessment had identified an increasing burden of red tape and bureaucracy that could be placed on local businesses, especially around new customs requirements.
“That is deeply concerning,” said the chairman. “And it remains unclear whether Northern Ireland will benefit from any future EU or UK trade agreements.
“There is a tremendous desire among the local business community to understand the detail in all of this, and a huge feeling of uncertainty about what any future divergence between Northern Ireland and Great Britain will mean,” he said.
“This requires clarity – and urgently.”
Mr Milligan was speaking at the IoD’s ‘meet the experts lunch’ at the Hilton Hotel, part of the business body’s ‘Brexit Ready’ initiative.
The free advice service is being rolled out throughout October in partnership with KPMG.
The event also heard from the IoD’s head of EU and trade policy, Allie Renison and Dr Katy Hayward from Queen’s University, Belfast.
The programme continues with a webinar on Tuesday based around trade, customs, VAT and people issues.
