Companies must take steps to 'fool-proof' their business model against Brexit

Neil Clothier, of global negotiation specialists Huthwaite International, made his remarks in the wake of CBI director-general Carolyn Fairbairn’s warning that a “bonfire of regulations” could lead to major costs and few benefits for businesses. A CBI report published this week, which canvassed views across 23 industry sectors, suggested that stepping too far away from EU rules after the UK quits the EU revealed significant nervousness at the prospect of divergence.

Mr Clothier said: “With this uncertainty, business owners will want to 'fool-proof' their business model. “How to do this, is the question on the lips of companies up and down the country, and one that doesn’t come with a clear-cut answer."

“There is however a tactic that businesses can take in times of uncertainty to help overcome cost issues and maximise benefits. And, perhaps ironically it centres on negotiation. The UK is currently negotiating its way through the EU rule book, debating the rules it will and won’t adopt, how UK businesses can and can’t operate themselves lies in the balance.”

Mr Clothier said "businesses must also prepare for any outcome, be it dramatic or limited."

Published in the Daily Express - April 2018