Are you in or are you out? Director advises caution over slow burn effects of Brexit

Are you in or are you out? In

Why?

Uncertainty is the big issue. We’re going to have a period of turmoil for two years while we sort out and change trade deals. The last thing we need is more of the uncertainty and turmoil we seem to have been having for years, since the recession.

It’s true that there are lots of rules and regulations around export and we’re still going to have to conform to all those things when we export, but we will have no influence over how to change those rules if we want to continue exporting to those markets we will have to accept whatever the EU wants.

Europe needs us, but they’re going to be looking elsewhere if we leave. Its taking away an advantage we’ve got on a global stage.

There will be a lot of pomp and circumstance in the press about what will happen. People will be waiting for something, but it will be like Y2K – nothing really happened in the end, but slowly, slowly the effects will be felt.

It will be a creeping issue that emerges over time, which is, in some respects, harder to deal with.

Absolutely no one can tell you what it will mean in pounds, shillings and pence as individual or a business if we leave.

What would a Brexit mean for your business?

We don’t chase work from the European Union, but a lot of our customers do export – we’re a second tier exporter if you want to put it that way.

We will be affected, but it won’t change overnight. That’s one of the risks. If we pull out of the EU nothing will change immediately, nothing will look different, but slowly things will become a problem and become more difficult.