MTD Speak to ‘Mr BREXIT’ Peter Wilding regarding UK Manufacturing

With the BREXIT debacle heating-up, MTD spoke with Peter Wilding, the man credited (or lambasted) with coining the ‘BREXIT’ term. In 2012, when BREXIT was a possibility, Peter was a Europe Director at BSkyB and prior to that the Europe Director of the Conservative Party. Peter is also a solicitor and author with a book on BREXIT; nowadays Peter is a BREXIT advisor to business with FBC Manby Bowdler.

In his book, Peter stressed the need for the manufacturing industry to remain a part of the single market and customs union. Joe asked Peter, what should manufacturers be doing in preparation for BREXIT? Peter said: “We have to do three things – inform, prepare and influence. What I mean by that is information. A lot of companies have quite rightly said, ‘lets get on with it’, we need to be informed of what will happen and we need to prepare for it – the government has not assisted in this process.”

“What we need to do is go to business and inform people, this is how BREXIT can assist or impede your business. We have a legal checklist and we go to business and audit what things are critical for the business. Once this is done, the second word is prepare. We can advise businesses on how contracts may need to be revised, what about VAT and data protection? All these factors have to be considered. The third thing is influence. The government needs to hear from business and more so be influenced. You can easily complain to government, but what they are looking for is guidance. The problem is that no company knows whether they need a sticking plaster or major surgery to prepare for BREXIT”