E-volution and D-evolution — The Shifting Business Challenges of the UK and Europe
This workshop explores the business impact and implications for UK Plc of the ongoing political discussions concerning the future of the UK and the EU. The session will initially examine the impact on business of BREXIT (or not), and then go further to look at what this might mean for business and trade as you look from a UK regional, national and even devolution perspective.
The workshop will start by looking at the nature of the EU. Is it just a single market? A trade area? A set of rules by which we (and our competitors) have to abide? How are these viewed by those on the different sides of the leave and stay argument? To understand these further we will use the UK automotive sector to look at the impact of the EU, and to give pointers to the business rather than political implications of exit or continued membership – less red tape and therefore greater business freedom? A more flexible labour market? Encouragement of trade and the question of Inward Foreign Investment in the UK?
These are significant issues for UK businesses and foreign businesses operating and investing in the UK. However they raise further structural questions of the implications of change on the UK as regional and national (England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland etc) business interests may be significantly at odds with the picture for the UK as a whole. So we will explore the business ramifications of further pressure for devolution in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. For England the questions are regional including that of The Northern Powerhouse, Greater Midlands etc and even whether London, as an international centre for business, would be able to continue to prosper within the UK should BREXIT become a reality?
All these questions have implications for you, your business, your suppliers and customers. We look forward to an informative and challenging day exploring these ideas with you.
