Britain is already heading for the worst coronavirus-induced slump of any major economy. Now fears are rising that businesses could be slammed by a second body blow this year — the failure of trade talks with the European Union.

ANDREW Bowie has been chastised by Alastair Campbell over his denial that Brexit is to blame for supermarket and labour shortages.

The surging price of bitcoin could reach record highs in the coming months if the UK leaves the European Union without a deal, according to some cryptocurrency analysts.

PM tells industry leaders anxious about stalled negotiations "rien ne vas plus", which means "no more bets" in the casino game.

The Prime Minister’s reckless disregard for truth is starting to destroy trust among his own party and could soon be his downfall.

The prime minister blackballed business groups from his keynote speech on the future of EU trade talks yesterday, accusing them of failing to prepare their members for the “reality” of post-Brexit Britain.

Boris Johnson's immigration plans for after Brexit are facing a massive backlash as industry leaders say key fields - like farming, construction and the stricken care industry - won't get the workers they need.

Falling business volumes, a sharp decline in jobs and a ‘national emergency’ have damaged bankers’ confidence.

We need the word “rejoin“ to have the same weight and significance as the word “Brexit“.

Leaving the EU with no deal in place would cause 'irreparable harm' to the UK economy, business group warned.

Survey finds majority of factory owners have cut investment, as insolvencies hit six-year high.

In reality, Brexit has hobbled the UK economy, which remains the only member of the G7 — the group of advanced economies that also includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States — with an economy smaller than it was before the pandemic.

A determined ignorance of the dynamics of global capitalism is bringing about a long-overdue audit of British realities.

January deadline is scuppering UK supply chains as they reel from the pandemic.

Many EU member states are calling for a very hard line with the UK in talks on future relationship.

LSE report says even sectors unscathed from coronavirus crisis will be severely impacted.

The UK’s official departure from the EU took place on January 1, 2021. The Brexit roll-out, not unexpectedly, has been awash with problems.

UK firms warn that even with a trade deal, both sides need to phase-in changes to border checks over six months.

Letter says government needs to act quickly to resolve customs issues faced by exporters following Brexit

Britain’s economy is forecast to shrink by 0.4% in 2023, more than any other in the Group of Seven richest nations, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Britain is the only G-7 member whose economy has yet to return to pre-pandemic levels.

Many firms are clinging on during the coronavirus crisis and have no capacity to to contemplate failure in talks with EU.

Sky's Paul Kelso, at the CBI's annual conference, says there is a clear message that Brexit isn't working for business and the government is failing to deliver policies that will help growth recover.

One of the UK’s biggest business lobby groups has hit back at government advice to invest in domestic workers, saying the move will not solve short-term labour shortages that are increasingly putting retailers and supply chains under pressure.

Senior ministers expected to sign off on the UK’s negotiating blueprint on Tuesday.

CBI appeals to Tory MPs to shift position to avoid a no-deal Brexit, or risk further harm to the economy.

Business leaders from major companies across Northern Ireland have written to the Prime Minister to voice their support for the Windsor Framework.

The Confederation of British Industry has warned Conservative leadership candidates over a no-deal Brexit. / Such a scenario would do "severe" damage to businesses, the body - which supported Remain - told all the MPs running to lead the party.

‘We must leave with a deal that protects jobs and livelihoods – or get mired in a swamp,’ says Confederation of British Industry.

Head of Welsh CBI tells committee pharmaceutical firm has had to move production to Dublin.

'Securing a good deal with the EU, our most important trading partner, will open doors that have been closed by uncertainty. As of 31 January, the UK moved into a transition period until December 2020. While this reduces the immediate risk for businesses, without an option to extend transition, there remains a risk of no deal in a year’s time.'

Industry group and union body join forces to demand Theresa May changes approach. / Britain’s foremost trade union body and industry lobby group have joined forces to demand Theresa May urgently changes her approach to Brexit, warning the country now faces a national emergency.

Carolyn Fairbairn says the UK economy is in ‘suspended animation’ while issue remain unresolved.

The Chancellor has warned there will be no alignment with EU regulations after Brexit - despite a pledge being made in the North East by Boris Johnson that standards would be protected.

Business lobby group warns failure to act will put UK’s economic recovery from Covid crisis at risk.

Labour leader demands transparency for public and business.

The CBI warns "the job of untangling 40 years of economic and regulatory integration is mammoth and should not be underestimated". / The employers' group said the EU's single market "is one of the most sophisticated systems of economic rules in existence".

The CBI has recently called for a new trade deal with the European Union and Rishi Sunak saw himself forced to rule out the Swiss option. These are just examples of how little the UK understands how the European Union and the single market work. Nicholas Sowels lists many of the erroneous assumptions Britain has made ... ignoring that the four freedoms of movement ... are not just abstractions.

Brussels was “preparing for the worst” over Brexit on Wednesday after the UK signalled the EU’s offer to scrap up to 80 per cent of checks on goods entering Northern Ireland was not enough to resolve the bitter dispute over the Irish border.

Britain’s departure from the European Union has triggered the biggest change in trade since it joined the bloc 48 years ago, with companies grappling with export documents, longer delivery times and the need to re-engineer supply chains.

Brexit as an ideological project has stripped the government of any sense of basic pragmatism.

British firms do not have the resilience to cope with a no-deal Brexit after the battering of the coronavirus crisis, according to the outgoing boss of industry body the CBI.

A government minister has criticised businesses for taking a "head in the sand approach" when preparing for post-Brexit trade.

The outgoing head of the North East’s largest business organisation has accused the Government of being ‘addicted to Brexit’ and unwilling to tackle any of the problems it has brought.

UK businesses are dealing with significant levels of political turmoil and feel that no deal is hurtling closer. The impacts of a no deal are vast and will impact every region and nation of the UK. From the South West of England, to the North East of Scotland, businesses are telling us a no deal would be a disaster for the UK economy, for businesses and for individual livelihoods.

The Opposition leader tried to win over firms after Boris Johnson's "rambling" Peppa Pig speech to the CBI conference was panned.

“The irony is the North East of England swung the vote to leave the EU. They will be the most effected. I believe Nissan cars will soon be non-competitive to EU customers due to import duty. This will effect jobs in the NE not just at Nissan but at all their subcontractors/suppliers.”

The men behind Trussonomics and Brexit, the two great man-made catastrophes of recent years, are to be honoured for their ‘great work’.

New Tory MPs have promised to transform the region, but its greatest threat will come in days, when Britain leaves the EU.

Michael Gove has failed to name a single change from Brexit that has “made business easier”, as criticism of the economic harm from the trade deal grows.

"This great transformation of our economy promised six years ago and you’re saying it’s the end of the common agricultural policy".

Brexit has failed to deliver any notable economic benefits, more than six years after the vote to leave the EU, David Davis has admitted.

The day after the British government signalled a ramping-up of preparations to leave the European Union without an agreement, two reports have called into question the readiness for a no-deal Brexit.

The UK risks "crashing out" of 40 trade agreements spanning five continents in the event of a no-deal Brexit, a business organisation has warned.

Dame Carolyn Fairbairn likens walking away from trade talks to ‘setting fire to the garden shed’ when the house is already in flames.

Carolyn Fairbairn says many businesses cannot prepare for no deal during Covid-19 crisis.

Goods dispatched in coming days may not arrive until after 29 March deadline.

Areas more heavily reliant on exports and manufacturing likely to be most severely damaged, Confederation of British Industry finds.

The Northern Ireland Protocol can give the region an economic advantage but will require further moves by both sides, the head of the UK's biggest business association has said.

Northern Ireland's Assembly will meet on Monday after a successful petition to recall members back to Stormont.

New orders fell and outlook for the year ahead remains gloomy.

High-profile Brexit backer Lord Simon Wolfson has renewed calls for the Government to let in more foreign workers to alleviate labour shortages that have plagued Scottish firms and the wider UK business community.

UK businesses that trade with Europe are continuing to have a tough time because of post-Brexit bureaucracy, according to an investigation carried out by the Financial Times.

Recruitment gap hitting hotels and restaurants as well as transport, CBI says.

Even after years of division and vitriol, it seems like Britain still needs to talk about Brexit. / More than six years after voting to leave the European Union, the UK is facing a prolonged recession and a deep cost-of-living crisis. Last week’s Autumn Statement heralded years of higher taxes and cuts to public spending.

‘One of the biggest blows to our productivity – and a self-inflicted one – was leaving Europe’s single market,’ says Michael Day.

David Hencke reports on the growing problems experienced by firms trading with the EU and the lack of help from the Vote Leave Government.

“Frictionless EU trade and regulatory alignment is vital for UK prosperity and jobs. The deal remains inadequate on services, which make up 80% of the UK economy. And big questions remain about the feasibility of negotiating a new trade agreement deep enough in a 14-month transition period."

CBI warns uncertainty is crippling UK economy with country at risk of lagging behind G7 competitors.

Iain Duncan Smith is accused of "repeating tired, old nonsense" following an attack on the Confederation of British Industry. / Theresa May has witnessed another attack by a Tory Brexiteer on business after former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith linked the UK's biggest business lobby group to Nazi appeasement.

Non-disclosure deals would bind those joining expert trade advisory groups for at least seven years, Sky News has learned.

"Around half of the fiscal hole, and the political instability that comes with that, is down to Brexit," John Springford of the Centre for European Reform.

CBI warns Boris Johnson that Britain needs a deal as it is already facing impact of Covid

The UK economy contracted 0.2% between April and June, its worst performance since 2012, the Office for National Statistics said.

CBI’s measure of private sector growth drops to -3 in February from zero in January.

Carolyn Fairbairn of CBI says her ‘really big disappointment’ was the lack of help for British services in the potential deal

Output fell in past three months at sharpest rate since 2009 and investment plans for next 12 months weakened.

CBI says just 10 per cent of the firms said sales are higher than this time last year.

The Food and Drink Federation said Lord Frost's latest delay "penalises those who follow government advice".

Businesses face 400 million extra customs declarations a year at a cost up as much as £20 billion under government plans.

A Wales-based drugs manufacturer has been forced to move to Ireland because of Brexit, it has been claimed.

Next boss, thinktanks and unions criticise Boris Johnson, saying ‘shortages cannot be blustered away’