Election mandate will provide greater certainty for Brexit, says EEF
18 Apr 2017
Prime minister Theresa May’s announcement of a snap general election for 8 June has received an early welcome from EEF chief executive Terry Scuoler.
The chief executive of the manufacturers organisation said the decision would help create greater certainty over government policy for withdrawal from Europe.
“Industry will welcome the Prime Minister’s decision to seek a clear mandate. The last year has been one of considerable uncertainty which, if it had gone on unchecked, would have risked hampering future investment," said Scuoler.
“We have significant negotiations to undertake with our partners in the rest of Europe, and doing this with a fresh and stable mandate from the country can only provide greater certainty about the future direction of travel for policy, and the potential to seek the best deal possible for the UK.”
A fresh and stable mandate from the country can only provide greater certainty about the future direction of travel for policy
Terry Scuoler, chief executive, EEF
May’s announcement came after months of insistence there would be no early election. The decision required approval from two thirds of MPs – who voted in favour by 522 to 13 – in order to bring the date forward from the scheduled 2020 election deadline.
However, the move is likely to have substantial support as both the Conservative and opposition parties are keen to establish whether the prime minister has a mandate for pursuing Brexit.
May was elected party leader by Tory MPs following her predecessor David Cameron’s decision to stand down after the defeat of the Remain campaign in last year's EU referendum. As head of the governing party, her assumption of the premiership was automatic.
However, there has been mounting criticism of the government’s claimed lack of clarity over its policy for withdrawal. Business leaders from the process sectors have been especially vocal – notably the food and drink and chemicals and pharmaceuticals sectors which rely heavily on EU imports and exports.
The EEF leader, who recently announced his impending retirement from the role, has also been forthright in demanding more detail from Whitehall on the Brexit strategy.
For a video of the Prime Minister's announcment click here.
