Is business ready for Brexit?
b'The deadline for extending the Brexit transition period has now passed. Agreement or no agreement, the government insists that the UK will not seek more time beyond the end of the year. With less than six months to go, it is more important than ever that businesses are prepared for a dramatic change in trading conditions.\\n\\nHowever, over the past few months, coronavirus has rightly dominated the attention and resources of both businesses and government. With many firms reeling from the economic effects of lockdown, preparing for the end of the year will be a tall ask. Ongoing uncertainty about the shape of the UK\\u2019s future relationship with the EU only makes the task more difficult.\\n\\nTo discuss these issues, we drew together a panel of experts representing businesses of different sizes and across a range of sectors. We asked how prepared businesses are, what more needs to be done and how the government can best help firms prepare.\\n\\nPanellists\\n\\nSonali Parekh, Head of Policy at the Federation of Small Businesses\\nIan Wright, Chief Executive of the Food and Drink Federation\\nGeorge Riddell, Director of Trade Strategy at EY\\nLloyd Mulkerrins, Policy Manager at the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders\\n\\nThe event was chaired by Maddy Thimont Jack, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government.'