We will be making our voices heard

FIGURES from the British Chambers of Commerce and a London School of Economics study underline the damaging impact of Brexit on our vital services sector - which underpins countless jobs and makes up four-fifths (80 per cent) of our economy.

- Peter Brown.

While coverage often highlights difficulties in sectors such as manufacturing and farming, the LSE shows that services facing new Brexit barriers have fallen by 16 per cent. Far from delivering a “Global Britain” boost, overall services exports are down by four to five per cent.

The BCC highlights three key barriers: fresh regulatory frictions, restrictions on cross-border services, and difficulties in recruiting EU talent. For firms in Hull and East Yorkshire - from an independent IT consultant needing to work with a client in Europe to a care home struggling to find qualified staff - these are not abstract numbers but everyday barriers to growth.

Britain is still one of the world’s largest exporters of services, ranking fourth globally. Anything undermining that strength should alarm us all.

Government's efforts to “reset” EU relations are welcome, but a bolder approach is urgently needed. As I noted in a recent letter (We deserve a say on Brexit promises, Mailbox, August 5), almost all (98.2 per cent) businesses surveyed by the European Movement UK want Single Market access.