According to a new report by the manufacturers’ group Make UK, nearly half of UK manufacturers in a survey of more than 100 leading companies in the country are more reluctant to do business with EU suppliers post-Brexit.
The trade body is urging Rishi Sunak to re-establish the UK’s relationship with the EU, warning that trade ties with the bloc are in jeopardy.
According to the report, one-fifth of manufacturers said they had reduced the number of EU suppliers in the previous year.
It also stated that Brexit cost 35% of the firms polled their suppliers from the rest of the world.
Speaking in London later today, chief executive of Make UK, Stephen Phipson will say: “We need to reset our political and trading relationship with the EU which has been marked by such rancour.
“I want to applaud the positive approach taken by the prime minister which shows what can be achieved when you work pragmatically and collaboratively, rather than thumping the table or issuing threats. Hopefully the agreement reached last week will be the beginning of a new chapter.”
This comes as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen unveiled the latest Brexit framework agreement last week, following months of intense negotiations aimed at reducing the barriers to Irish Sea trade imposed by the contentious Northern Ireland Protocol.