UK car industry calls for interim Brexit deal

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has questioned the likelihood that the government will be able to reach a final Brexit agreement with the EU before the March 2019 deadline.

Chief Executive of the SMMT, Mike Hawes, said an interim Brexit deal was needed that would allow the UK to remain in the customs union and single market for the duration of the negotiations.

He warned that a failure to agree a deal would leave the automotive industry falling off a cliff edge.

Mr Hawes called on the government to provide real guidance on its plans for the UK’s exit from the European Union and not to hide behind political rhetoric.

In his keynote address at SMMT’s annual summit, Mr Hawes said: “It is time to stop playing with words. ‘Soft’ or ‘hard’ Brexit and now ‘open’ mean nothing. It’s time to be brutally honest – our sector needs a comprehensive and bespoke trade agreement.”

“We accept that we are leaving the European Union but our biggest fear is that in two years’ time we fall off a cliff edge – no deal, outside the single market and customs union and trading on inferior World Trade Organisation terms. This would undermine our competitiveness and our ability to attract the investment that is critical to future growth.”

“This uncertainty cannot be allowed to drag on and drag British industry down with it. Nor will we be satisfied with vague talk of a ‘transition’ or ‘implementation’ period.

“Instead, we need a clear interim arrangement – an arrangement enabling ‘business as usual’ from day one.”

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