Brexit – whatever side you are on – is bad for business

Property professionals get paid when deals get done – no hay, no pay. Politicians get paid, regardless.

Leaving aside the rhetoric, hyperbole and outright abuse the subject of Brexit has generated, one fact remains – Brexit is not proving good for business.

The politicians, on both sides, seem more interested in point scoring over each other than resolving the situation.

For many in business, it doesn’t matter anymore whether we leave or we stay – it is this political limbo that is affecting the economy. Staying or leaving would be better for business – another delay is purely prolonging the agony.

This is reflected in a recent survey by law firm CMS, reported on by Property Week, that identifies that threequarters of real estate professionals think Brexit has been bad for business.

Most clients and business people we at John Truslove talk to tell us the constant delays are now starting to show signs of impacting on their businesses.

I keep being told “if we are going to leave, then we should just get on and leave, with or without a deal”.

I have had two clients tell me this month that they have lost contracts because their European customers have decided to warehouse product in Europe, not the UK, citing the uncertainty, rather than the fact that we might be leaving the EU.

Clearly, leaving without a deal is going to bring its own problems, but at least it would break the current stalemate, which is not helping anyone and, in itself, damaging the economy.

Politicians, regardless of their political hue, or how many parties they have joined this year in their pursuit of “integrity”, need to act one way or the other and soon, or they run the real risk of harming the economy and the property markets.

A lot of the economic data at present is very positive, but this is by its nature, historic.

The property market is currently buoyant and deals are being done almost daily across Worcestershire and the wider West Midlands.

But for how long?

The message to the politicians must be “do something” as this is an issue that will not go away.

To borrow from Messrs Joe Strummer and Mick Jones of The Clash:

“Should I stay or should I go now?
Should I stay or should I go now?
If I go, there will be trouble
And if I stay it will be double
So come on and let me know.”

A decision, any decision, is better than the situation we face now.

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