Service industries call for balanced Brexit deal in letter to PM

The DMA’s CEO, Chris Combemale, has signed a letter from the Professional and Business Services Council (PBSC) to the UK Prime Minister calling for a balanced Brexit deal that works for both the UK and the EU27. The letter to Theresa May was also signed by over 40 organisations from a range of sectors including law, accountancy, consultancy, architecture, surveying and our own advertising and marketing industry.

The professional and business service industry employs an estimated 4.6m people and contributes around £188bn in gross value to Britain’s bottom line, making the sectors involved worth more than the manufacturing, mining and extractive industries combined.

The letter also acknowledged that the UK is a global market leader in advertising and marketing communications services, with people from across the globe choosing gain experience and professional qualifications in Britain. This all combines to make the industries involved in this campaign one of Britain’s greatest hidden exports.

Therefore, it’s important that these sectors are not damaged or hindered by the Brexit deal. With that in mind, the PBSC goes on to explain what we need:

• Mutual recognition of professional qualifications, products and operating licences
• Mutual recognition of the regulatory frameworks and regulators, from data protection to audiovisual media policy laws to statutory audits
• The ability of our service providers to fly in-fly out to facilitate advice across the EU27 and trade across Europe
• Mutual recognition of judgments so deals across EU27 countries can proceed with legal certainty
• Continued co-operation in areas that facilitate trade – such as data sharing
• The ability to educate and recruit the best talent from overseas, whether from the EU or beyond
• Reduced uncertainty through any transition period

In summary, the letter calls for a deal that is good for Britain and one that works for the EU27. For this to be achieved, the contribution of the British professional services sector to the success of the UK and EU27 economies needs to be recognised and protected. The organisations taking part will continue to work with Theresa May and her government to secure a deal that will sustain and enhance this success in the years to come.

You can find out more about the figures the PBSC has on the size of our combined sectors in the graphic below. To see the full letter and signatories, please click the blue button below.

PBSC letter to the PM