Businesses and Theresa May's Brexit strategy

Mrs May and Mr Tusk, the president of the European council

The way the British government is handling Brexit continues to create a climate of uncertainty for businesses.

This was probably what led the head of Europe’s biggest aerospace company to warn that the prime minister’s Brexit strategy is “unravelling again” as the industry prepares for the UK to leave the EU without a deal.

Significantly, Airbus continues to stockpile key parts in a bid to “mitigate the effects” of a disorderly Brexit.

Tom Enders, Airbus's chief executive, had welcomed Mrs May’s plan for a UK-EU free trade area based on a “common rule book” but expressed dismay after the government accepted a series of Brexiteer demands.



Mr Enders spoke at the Farnborough International Airshow yesterday :
“I thought that the white paper was going in the right direction. Now we see that unravelling again, so all the more reason for us to take more serious decisions.

''The company is now activating contingency plans, which largely focus on building some buffers [of components] so we should be able for a short period after the exit happens to mitigate the effects”.



Theresa May with Tom Enders of Airbus at the Farnborough airshow