Businesses face structural barriers to opportunities - Yorkshire Post Letters

In his column, Alex Kenworthy (The Yorkshire Post, July 16) is right to encourage ambitious Yorkshire businesses to pursue growth opportunities in Europe. That is a much more compelling message than the calls for greater isolationism we often see here.

However, he suggests UK companies hesitate because they prefer “English-speaking jurisdictions” and familiar legal frameworks. English is widely used across European boardrooms. The true barrier is not linguistic; it is structural.

While our domestic debate often fixates on the freedom of movement for people, we forget that the EU Single Market rests on four pillars - including the free movement of capital and services. Rules set in Brussels simplify acquisitions by applying them seamlessly across 27 nations.

French and German firms expand effortlessly because they operate within those pillars. Conversely, UK firms are now locked out of that simplicity.

How can we expect mid-market firms to aggressively acquire on the continent when the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) reports that 34 per cent of UK SME exporters expect to stop EU trade altogether due to the current friction? Only six per cent see an opportunity to grow.

The risk is that firms will shift production to the continent to sidestep barriers, taking business from the UK rather than growing their enterprise overall.

Rejoining the EU would solve these structural problems. However, there is broad consensus for rebuilding EU relations far beyond Sir Keir Starmer’s old "red lines".

With Andy Burnham now in office, he must immediately act on what the vast majority of the country already accepts: the mandate for a closer relationship is undeniable.

Recent YouGov polling shows 59 per cent of the public - including a 54 per cent majority of 2016 Leave voters - support practical alignment. Yorkshire businesses need the new Prime Minister to urgently clear roadblocks to economic growth and European acquisitions.