SME and Brexit

 SME leaders team up to consider post-Brexit strategy

A total of nine small business groups have combined forces in an effort to create a coordinated response to Britain’s vote for Brexit. Small business network Enterprise Nation was not invited to Sajid Javid’s post-referendum meeting of business leaders so founder Emma Jones brought together a separate group, including the FSB; the ICAEW; National Enterprise Network; Open to Export; contractor and freelancer group IPSE; The Entrepreneurs Network; the British Library Business & IP Centre; and tech start-up group The Coalition for a Digital Economy (Coadec). Ms Jones said: “It’s more important now than ever before for entrepreneurs to maintain optimism and look forwards, not backwards. The worst thing we can do is talk ourselves into a recession when formal negotiations leading to exit will take at least two years.” Mike Cherry, chairman of the FSB, said he had pushed Mr Javid to ensure SMEs retained access to single market, a move former BCC director-general John Longworth said would see the UK “negotiating away all of our benefits from this Brexit just to get access to what is a mirage… 87% of the UK economy is not associated with exports to the EU, and 90% of the economy is services. The single market is really only in goods. If it becomes apparent the EU is not prepared to do a deal, we should just leave.” Simon McVicker, director of policy and external affairs at IPSE, added: “Now we are leaving the EU, IPSE believes the priorities should be new global trading arrangements, cutting regulation on small and microbusinesses and ensuring that Britain has the most flexible and attractive economy in the world.”

Source:   The Mail on Sunday (03/07/2016)