By Business & Finance 
Minister of State for European Affairs Helen McEntee TD; Michael Jackson, Managing Partner, Matheson and Liz Grace, Financial Services Partner, Matheson (Photo: Adrian Brooks/Imagewise)
According to Matheson Managing Partner Michael Jackson, businesses can’t afford to wait and need to plan for a potential ‘hard’ Brexit.
Speaking at the Financial Times Brexit and Beyond Summit in London earlier this week, Jackson explained the further increase in Brexit-related work Matheson has been working on over the first half of this year.
Opinions on Brexit for business
An increase in activity from businesses planning for a Brexit aftermath is consistent with a poll of delegates taken at the FT Summit. It found that just 4% of attendees believed that the UK would be better off after Brexit; 96% disagreed with this statement.
Speaking on Brexit at the event, Michael Jackson said:
While one might expect a coolness to Brexit in the City, it is remarkable that just 4% of delegates at the cross-sectoral FT Brexit Summit in London today think that the UK would be better off after Brexit. In many ways, this reflects the challenges businesses are facing as they deal with the immediate consequences of planning for all Brexit scenarios.
Michael Jackson, Managing Partner, Matheson
The border issue
Helen McEntee TD Minister of State for European Affairs also delivered a keynote speech on EU support for the Irish position on the border:
The Irish and EU position on the border has been and remains the same. In fact, the support from the EU for the Irish position has strengthened over time. My colleagues in the EU recognise the political, economic and social importance of the border issues – they know that the EU project at its heart was a peace process. The Irish position on the border won’t be changing, and I believe that the EU position won’t either, regardless of the UK political pressures at the moment.
Matheson’s role in the world of Brexit
Jackson continued and spoke of Matheson’s role: “Matheson has seen a significant increase in Brexit matters that we are working on and the sectors involved have broadened, particularly in the last six months. In the first year or so after the Brexit vote financial services companies were to the fore in planning for a post-Brexit landscape and started looking at Ireland as a base for new operations. However, in the last six months we have seen an increase in new matters related to the pharma, food and tech sectors. Businesses can’t wait any longer, they are making the decisions now to Brexit-proof their operations.”
Matheson will continue to work upon Brexit-related issues and matters going forward to meet the growing demands of the March 2019 deadline.
