Making a success of Brexit
• Brexit means Brexit and we are going to make a success of it. Theresa May as Prime Minister and the Conservatives in Government will provide strong and proven leadership as Britain begins its negotiations to leave the European Union and forge a new role in the world.
• We will work hard to get the best deal for Britain. As we conduct our negotiations, it must be a priority to regain more control of the numbers of people who come here from Europe – but also to allow British companies to trade with the single market in goods and services.
• At the same time, we are going to make the most of the opportunities that our departure presents – getting out into the world and doing business right across the globe, while at home building a Britain that works for everyone.
Steps being taken make a success of Brexit:
• Establishment of the Department for Exiting the European Union and the Department of International Trade. The new departments will bring together officials and policy expertise from across the civil service and beyond to ensure that Brexit works for Britain.
• Promoting the UK as a place to do business and trade with. Already there are a number of positive signs that we can make a success of Brexit. International companies such as Softbank and GlaxoSmithKline have already announced major investments in the UK. Whilst the Australian Prime Minister made clear his desire to proceed ‘as soon as possible’ on a new trade deal with Britain.
• Involving every part of our country. We will fully involve the devolved governments in Brexit. In particular, we will give the Scottish Government every opportunity to have their say as we form our negotiating strategy and in Ireland we had a common travel area between the UK and the Republic for many years before either country was a member of the European Union. Nobody wants to return to past borders.
There are clear principles from which we are starting the process. As we conduct our negotiations, it must be a priority to regain more control of the numbers of people who come here from Europe – but also to allow British companies to trade with the single market in goods and services. It would be wrong to set out further unilateral positions in advance, but throughout these negotiations we will work to ensure the best possible outcome for the British people.
Ensuring that we are prepared for the negotiations
• Establishment of the Department for Exiting the European Union and the Department of International Trade. The new departments will bring together officials and policy expertise from across the civil service and beyond to ensure that Brexit works for Britain.
Major investments in the UK following the referendum
• Japanese technology firm Softbank announced a record £24 billion investment into the UK as it moved to buy Cambridge-based microprocessor manufacturer ARM (BBC, 18 July 2016).
• GlaxoSmithKline have announced a £275 million investment in the United Kingdom (Reuters, 27 July 2016).
• Anglo-Swedish drugs company, AstraZeneca announced that it will invest £330 million in a new research and development centre in Cambridge creating 2,000 new jobs (Daily Mail, 29 July 2016).
• Online retailer Amazon said it would create 1,500 new jobs in 2017 when it opens a new distribution centre in Tilbury, south east England, maintaining its surge of investment in Britain (Reuters, 18 August 2016).
• Bombardier’s Derby train factory will build 660 state of the art carriages for Abellio East Anglia as part of a £1 billion contract, securing 1,000 jobs into the next decade (DfT press release, 10 August 2016).