Now the country is on the threshold of official negotiations to leave the EU , described as the most important international talks on this country ’ s future since 1945 . Prime Minister Theresa May laid out her plans for a ‘ hard Brexit ’ during her keynote speech in London on January 17 . It initially appeared crystal clear that we were leaving the EU as quickly as possible . But just a week later , she suffered a setback when the Supreme Court ruled that Parliament must give its approval before official negotiations on Brexit started . Mrs May had hoped to avoid a parliamentary showdown over Brexit by insisting ‘ royal prerogative ’ powers gave her the right to trigger Article 50 alone . She beat a time limit to secure the consent of Parliament , but has repeatedly said she wants to trigger Article 50 by the end of March . If agreed , this would pave the way for what is expected to be two years of talks about the terms of the UK ’ s departure and its future relationship with the EU . Meanwhile , the rest of the country including businesses and tradespeople are still caught up in a waiting game . Many have talked for years about the importance of staying in , or having access to , the single market . There are many unanswered questions – for example , what will the UK do if the EU ultimately seeks to impose tariffs on British exports ?

SKILLS CRISIS SPREADS Another big question relating closely to Brexit is about lack of skilled workers in the UK . Just about everyone agrees a lack of skills is one of the biggest headaches for British business . Added to possible future restrictions on hiring from the EU , many businesses

worry where they will get the right employees . Given the political imperative to reduce immigration from the EU , it seems sensible to conclude that it will be harder to hire people from outside the UK . Home grown skills are both desirable and look increasingly urgent . Just as businesses were scratching their heads about Brexit , the government has launched a Green Paper on industrial strategy , including plans for skills . It promises £ 170m to beef up technical education by funding new colleges and replacing ‘ too many ’ courses - seen by business as low quality - with fewer higher quality courses designed to fit the needs of employers in the surrounding area .

Significantly , latest research by the Federation of Master Builders ( FMB ) claims the skills shortage in the construction industry has got worse and has now spread beyond bricklayers and carpenters to other key trades . The FMB ’ s State of Trade Survey for Q4 2016 showed that :

• Almost half of construction SMEs are reporting difficulties hiring roofers ( 46 %)

• Shortages of electricians and plasterers are at their highest point in four years

• The SME construction sector has experienced 15 consecutive quarters of growth . Brian Berry , chief executive of the FMB , said : “ We ’ ve been experiencing a severe shortage of bricklayers

and carpenters for quite some time – these latest statistics show that skills shortages are now seeping into other key trades such as roofers and plumbers . Indeed , of the 15 key trades and occupations we monitor , 40 % show skills shortages at their highest point since we started to feel the effects of the skills crisis in 2013 when the industry bounced back post-downturn . This growing skills deficit is driving up costs for small firms and simultaneously adding to the pressure being felt by soaring material prices linked to the weaker pound .” He continued : “ The government needs to be taking note of the worsening construction skills shortage now that we know that

the UK will be negotiating a hard Brexit . The Prime Minister must ensure that the immigration system that replaces the free movement of people serves key sectors such as construction and house building . Our sector relies heavily on skilled labour from the EU , with 12 % of the British construction workforce being of non-UK origin . As the construction industry represents around 7 % of UK GDP , it ’ s in no one ’ s interest to pull the rug out from under the sector by introducing an inflexible and unresponsive immigration system .” He concluded : “ On a more positive note , construction SMEs reported steady growth in the final three months of 2016 , capping off