Made in the Midlands newsroom

Manufacturers warning to Brexiteers

Over a week since the British public voted to leave the European Union, the Midlands manufacturing community remain united at a time when the British government is falling apart. 

Brexit has created a great opportunity for manufacturers to promote their thought leadership and address how they feel the decision will impact their business and the local economy. The recent political performances of Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage have created a level of uncertainty that is impossible to ignore.

Managing Director of Boneham and Turner, Charles Boneham explained: “My main concern with Brexit, is the shock that it gave the country and the negative media response afterwards, where the BBC in particular seemed to be doing everything possible to encourage a financial crash and behaving as though an extreme right wing government had been voted in. However we need to remind ourselves that this is a political crisis not a financial crisis, this can’t be compared to 2008 in any way.”

“I feel there is a complete shambles in the Conservative party where Boris Johnson clearly didn’t expect to win and therefore had no planned steps immediately afterwards. Michael Gove stabbed him in the back at a time when someone from the Brexit camp needed to be offsetting the negative media and talking up the positives for Brexit, even one week on this still hasn’t happened.”

At this stage of the fallout from the European Union, none of the British public are capable of providing an analysis on what Britain is going to do next. The political leaders who dragged us down this route clearly do not have a manifesto. At the EU summit last week, the 27 government leaders agreed that the ‘divorce talks’ should be finished before any conversation about a new settlement for the UK.

Managing Director of SSC Laser, Andy Evans stated: “We are now thrown into a long period of uncertainty and I have no confidence that the country has credible leadership to steer us in the right direction. From a business point of view "uncertainty is the enemy of growth." Having said that, I will ensure that SSC Laser will dig in and continue to prosper.”

Despite the concern, Made in the Midlands was created to offer support for manufacturers during times of economic and political uncertainty, as we choose to rely on Britain’s world class skills and supply chain. We now represent over 320 of the top firms in the Midlands, which contribute to over £3.5bn of Midlands manufacturing. The community regularly inter-trades, source and supply from each other which ensures that the Midlands region remains financially strong.

Sales Director of Alloy Heat Treatment, Ian Perks said: “I think we’ve certainly got to work with British manufacturers and I think Made in the Midlands will play a huge role in that, in moving around as a unit to give more force to us.

“I don’t think it's going to be very good for business, although I just received an email from BAE Systems to say that a large project that we’ve all been waiting to drop for four years is going to drop now. So perhaps this is isn’t having the impact that I thought it was going to have. I am still skeptical, but I hope I am proved completely wrong.”

Understandably, manufacturers remain very doubtful of the current government which is now lacking a Prime Minister, UKIP leader and half of the Labour party. The political meltdown has led manufacturers and the remainder of the general public questioning the manifesto plans of the Brexit campaign and the leadership of the country. However, manufacturers will remain driven and persistent in driving their businesses forwards and securing and building their own futures in a post-Brexit Britain.