Chamber Response To Today’s Brexit White Paper

James Ramsbotham, chief executive, North East England Chamber of Commerce said: “We welcome today’s Brexit White Paper which has confirmed the ambition to have a frictionless border with the EU with a free trade area for goods. Our members have been seeking clarity on future trading arrangements for two years so I am delighted that our campaigning, on their behalf, has played its part in getting arrangements in place to support businesses post-Brexit.  We will continue to seek clarity for all our great service sector companies.

“We look forward to more clarification on the issue of labour mobility for skilled workers in the North East.  Skills shortages are affecting a growing number of businesses in our region, and access to global talent is needed to support the growth of our emerging tech and advanced manufacturing sectors.

“This document provides clarity for the EU on our desired outcome from the negotiations. The Government should now provide greater clarity for North East firms on the details of the Shared Prosperity Fund, to replace European funding streams which have been so beneficial to our region. The voice of business must also continue to be heard in the on-going negotiations.”