Business leaders have warned that a Brexit “tidal wave” of red tape is going to hit British industry on 1 January even if a trade deal is struck in the coming days.
The Confederation of British Industry deputy director general Josh Hardie pleaded with the UK and EU to redouble efforts to get businesses prepared, saying speed was now of the essence.
He said he was confident there would be a trade deal in the coming days, because to walk the UK and 27 EU countries over a cliff edge on 1 January would be a failure of politics.
“I find it almost impossible to believe that politicians on both sides would allow our countries to slip into no deal. The mutual interest in getting a deal has genuinely never been stronger post-pandemic – or mid-pandemic,” he said.