14:39

The organisation representing ship owners in the UK says its time for Brexiters to “put up or shut up”, accept Theresa May’s deal or come up with a fully-baked alternative.

“International agreements rarely please everyone, and I accept this deal gives neither leave nor remain campaigners everything that they want, but we have now run out of time.

“This deal has been struck after years of complex, detailed and technical negotiations. We respect those who cannot support the proposed deal, but their dissent requires them to put forward a clear, unambiguous and workable alternative immediately. In short it’s time to put up or shut up,” says UK Chamber of Shipping’s chief executive, Bob Sanguinetti.

Sanguinetti also acknowledged that many people are tired of hearing no deal warnings, but argued that the uncertainty of no deal was too big a risk to take.

“I know people are tired of business groups warning of a No Deal scenario. There is however a direct relationship between political decisions and people’s day to day lives and it is our duty to alert them to the facts.

“It may be the case that over the medium term markets will shift and adapt well to a No Deal economy, but nobody truly understands the damage that will be done in the meantime.

“In a no deal scenario, it is a fact that there will be long delays in ports putting manufacturing supply chains and just-in-time deliveries of pharmaceuticals and fresh food at risk. It is a fact that costs would go up for consumers. It is a fact that this will damage both the UK and the EU. The question is how long it would take to sort all that out – and for that there is no clear answer.

“Those hoping for a no-deal Brexit, or prepared to risk one, have a duty to explain in technical detail why this is a risk worth taking.”