British business leaders breathed a sigh of relief on Thursday after Prime Minister Theresa May survived a vote of confidence among her own party's MPs.Mrs May, who arrived in Brussels on Thursday afternoon for further talks on the EU withdrawal agreement, received backing from 200 Conservative MPs on the vote on Wednesday evening, while 117 voted against her in a poll called for by hardline Brexiteers.

Businesses require certainty for securing investment, jobs and growth

Business leaders had voiced their "utter dismay" that the no-confidence motion had been tabled in the first place. After Mrs May survived the vote, they united in demanding parliament get on with the more urgent business of agreeing a Brexit deal.Carolyn Fairbairn, director-general of the Confederation of British Industry, said, “This vote was a chaotic detour that needs to be put to good use. Politicians must finally stop the endless infighting of the past 30 months and come together to secure a workable Brexit deal. Companies and the country have had enough of chaos.“Uncertainty is throttling firms and threatening jobs – not in the future but right now. Firms are desperate for clarity and need to know for certain a no deal Brexit will not happen. Until they do, damage to investment, jobs and future growth will continue.“This must mark a turning point, a chance to restore confidence in politics and our economy. Businesses across the UK will be counting on politicians to seize it, and despair if they do not.”

Some leaders hope for an end to political battles

Adam Marshall, director-general of the British Chambers of Commerce, said that now Mrs May's position was secure, "business communities will hope that these political games can finally be put to bed".He added, "Westminster must now focus all its energy on urgently giving businesses clarity on the future and avoiding a messy or disorderly Brexit.“We are just over 100 days to go until the UK leaves the EU, and firms are still in the dark as to what trading conditions they will face. Neither the country nor businesses are prepared for a no deal Brexit, so parliamentarians on all sides must redouble efforts to ensure communities don’t face that scenario by default.“Many businesses are holding back on investment and hiring, with some enacting contingency plans, for example by moving operations to continental Europe, to give themselves more certainty. It is time for Westminster to urgently come together to provide clarity on the UK’s future relationship with the EU so that firms have the answers they need. There is no time to waste.”

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Vote is seen as pointless distraction from the task of negotiating future relationship

Stephen Martin, director-general of the Institute of Directors, commented, "In all the twists and turns of Brexit, this may prove to be the most pointless and the most short-lived."We are approaching the biggest economic change this country has faced in a generation, companies and their employees deserve to have their political leaders focused on what really matters, allowing people to work and conduct business with the least disruption possible. The attention now must be on avoiding no deal and then negotiating our future relationship with the EU."It was a message echoed by Stephen Phipson, chief executive of the manufacturers’ organisation EEF. “We welcome the outcome of this vote. At this moment the country urgently needs consistent leadership so that we can focus on leaving the EU with a sensible and pragmatic deal. I urge parliamentarians of all parties to now focus on the task in hand and reach a sensible conclusion on the Withdrawal Act”.Federation of Small Businesses chairman Mike Cherry added, "We don’t know what economic environment we’ll be operating within in only 100 days’ time. Small firms are crying out for some certainty about the future. It’s high time for politicians to deliver it."

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