Last night Parliament voted emphatically — 432 noes to 230 ayes — against the Brexit deal Theresa May had presented. The largest defeat for a sitting government in modern history, it has thrown the nation into even more uncertainty as we stare down the barrel of a 29 March deadline to leave the EU.
Now, the British Fashion Council have joined the chorus of voices from organisations based in the UK desperately calling for a so called People’s Vote (essentially a second referendum) on the deal. In a statement released today the BFC wrote that the looming No Deal Brexit we’re currently facing is “a scenario that should be avoided at all costs”.
“The ongoing uncertainty and confusion that a no deal creates will have a negative impact on our industry, where investment is already impacted from the uncertainty being faced”, they wrote. “A no deal situation will result in no transition period, and with an industry that is predominantly SMEs, we would struggle to cope with the trade realities that it would bring.”
Whether Theresa May will pay attention to the BFC’s call for caution over Brexit remains to be seen, however. Today she is facing a vote of no confidence from Jeremy Corbyn after her disastrous Meaningful Vote defeat last night, and the ultimate Brexit deadline of 29 March looms ever closer.
The BFC, for their part, are welcoming a People’s Vote as their preferred option to minimise the impact to the fashion industry, over the current no-deal chaos the government are facing. “We will continue to work with Government and designer businesses to navigate these difficult times and consider all options put forward,” they said.