Chancellor pledges access to foreign skills after Brexit

The UK government is committed to a post-Brexit deal that would allow free trade across Europe and offer companies continued access to the foreign skills they need, Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond has said.In a speech in London at the Confederation of British Industry's (CBI) president's dinner, Mr Hammond said jobs and prosperity were the top priorities in negotiations with the EU but warned that Brexit was “just one among many challenges” currently confronting the remaining 27 members of the bloc.And while Mr Hammond acknowledged that curbing immigration was a key goal of many people who voted 'leave' in last year's referendum, he said it was vital that companies and public services would still be able to recruit from overseas after Brexit.

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Read more on Brexit:

• CBI heartened by prospects of Brexit trade deal with US
• Brexit: its impact on global mobility
• In the wake of Brexit: establishing right to remain

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 Minimising friction at the border

The chancellor said the right outcome from negotiations would be “a comprehensive free trade deal in goods and services that allows the complex value chains that criss-cross our continent to continue to operate smoothly.“A customs arrangement that minimises friction at the border with a transition that prioritises protection of the free flow of trade across our borders until the agreed long-term arrangements can be put fully in place.“A future relationship that acknowledges our need to manage migration but allows British businesses and public services to continue to recruit the labour they need to deliver both economic growth and our social objectives.”Mr Hammond said that a successful outcome of the talks would be a deal that acknowledged the “legitimate concerns” of the EU around regulation of financial markets and the establishment of a “co-operative supervisory structure”.He added, “We seek a shared understanding on what the future relationship looks like as early as possible and an agreement with our EU partners that it will be in our mutual interest that there will be a smooth and orderly path to the new arrangements, rather than a disruptive and dangerous cliff-edge. Because what businesses and citizens crave more than anything is clarity about the future.“And it is incumbent on all of us, in business and in government alike, to go on making the case for a Brexit outcome that protects jobs and prosperity and a transition that takes us to it smoothly.”

Ensuring a smooth Brexit

Reacting to the speech, Josh Hardie, CBI deputy director-general, said businesses would welcome the chancellor's commitment to sound public finances at home and a smooth exit from the EU that would support the UK economy.He added, “Companies will want to see transitional arrangements that prioritise protection of the free-flow of trade across borders agreed as soon as possible, and will also want to understand more about how continuity for companies can be secured until long-term arrangements can be established.“A new migration system allowing firms to access the skills and labour they need to succeed globally is of the utmost importance as the UK seeks to renew its trading relationships around the world, and the chancellor’s commitment to this will be warmly received.“We hope that companies up and down the country, of every size and every sector, will heed the chancellor’s call to continue playing their part in promoting free trade, open markets and a business environment that will drive productivity and raise living standards for people living in all parts of the UK.“Now more than ever it’s critical that the whole of government works in partnership with business to make a success of Brexit – that means putting economics before politics to safeguard our economy and prosperity for future generations.”

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Read David Sapsted's article on Establishing Right to Remain – which discusses the uncertainty over immigration which the UK faces following Brexit – in the Summer 2017 issue of Relocate Magazine.

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