16:12

Businesses have given a cautious welcome to the government’s Brexit notices but believe more details are still needed.

The British Chambers of Commerce director general Dr Adam Marshall, said:

Ministers say they will take unilateral steps to keep trade moving freely but must demonstrate what they will concretely do to limit the impact of delays, inspections and red tape. It is unfortunate that businesses face several weeks wait for further information and clarification. Every additional delay means less time for businesses to prepare ahead of the UK’s fast-approaching exit from the EU.

On specific issues, the BCC is pleased the government has acted to avoid businesses having to pay VAT immediately on each cross-border transaction, which would have caused cash flow issues.

But Marshall questioned plans to impose full blown customs controls on trade between the UK and EU immediately. He said:

Given well-publicised concerns surrounding the capacity and readiness of UK customs systems, we question whether this outcome is realistic. Even though there is some welcome practical advice in the government’s technical notes on trading with the EU in these circumstances, we need to know much more.

And he said there were some alarm bells for business in terms of the higher costs of euro transactions, and there needed to be more clarity about the Irish border issue.

Stephen Jones, chief executive of trade association UK Finance, said:

The government is taking a pragmatic approach to addressing critical cliff-edge issues and to ensure consumers and businesses can continue accessing vital cross-border services. However, these issues cannot be addressed by the UK acting alone. It is therefore vital that negotiators on both sides work together to agree solutions that prevent any unnecessary disruption and additional costs for customers in both the EU and UK.

Stephen Phipson, chief executive of EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation, said: