AFTER more than two years of negotiations, with only 50 days to go until Brexit, businesses big and small in Swindon say they are worried.

Theresa May leaves for Brussels today to attempt to renegotiate the withdrawal agreement and crucially, the terms of the Irish backstop to prevent a hard border in Ireland. But business leaders have hit out at the lack of clarity over Brexit with less than two months to go until March 29.

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Ian Larrard, director of Business West at the Swindon and Wiltshire initiative, said: “Fifty days is an unfathomably short period of time in which to finalise UK’s exit from the European Union, particularly given that parliament and government remain at odds over the best course of action.

“The certainty that businesses have been calling for since the referendum remains elusive and with the clock ticking many simply cannot wait until 30th March - the day after we leave the EU - to find out the lay of the land.

“Businesses needed to know the shape of our future trading relationship with Europe 18 plus months ago, not a matter of weeks before the UK’s withdrawal.

“There is no doubt that these are testing times for many businesses, but the help is out there and it’s never too late to start planning for life outside the EU.”

Honda, which will have six non-production days at the plant in South Marston after March 29, announced casual workers’ contracts were not being renewed in anticipation of a slow down in production, although it says this is not down to Brexit.

A spokesman said: “From February 2019, production volumes at Honda of the UK Manufacturing will reduce to 570 cars per day, which is broadly in line with our original plan. Our resourcing model includes the use of fixed-term contracts, which enables us to remain agile and react to market demands.

“As a result of the reduction in production volumes, we have reviewed our resource requirements for the remainder of this financial year, and the following year, and confirmed the end dates of some employees on fixed term contracts.”

Under World Trade Organisation rules Honda would pay 10 per cent tariffs on cars it exports to the EU, which make up 32 per cent of its production.

Many export businesses say they rely on the predictable transport of goods and minimal checks at the border with Europe and are looking at moving parts of their operations.

The director of a Swindon construction and engineering company, who wanted to remain anonymous, said: “After the Brexit vote the British pound nosedived and our business model became much less viable. We adapted by setting up manufacturing in the UK. We export around 90 per cent of our product to the EU.

“Our clients are normally government bodies. However, we are now seeing written into tender documents that European governments are writing out UK contractors from government tenders in anticipation of a no-deal.

“A no-deal would therefore cause us great harm. Meanwhile a deal which keeps us in the EU but without a voice seems pointless. We have been looking at setting up a subsidiary in Holland to shift manufacturing capacity from the UK to EU.

“This would be a real shame for the region. Our position is that we need to be in the EU, helping to shape events and fighting for greater EU democracy and accountability.”

The BMW group, which makes parts for the Mini at its plant in Stratton, in conjunction with the main plant in Oxford, is also bringing forward planned closures to minimise disruption.

A spokeswoman for the company said: “The ongoing political uncertainty surrounding the outcome of Brexit and future trading relations between the UK and the EU is bad for business. What is clear is that a no-deal Brexit would have a disruptive and detrimental effect on our business.

“We therefore continue to call on all sides to secure an agreement which maintains the truly frictionless trade on which our international production network and sales operations are based.

“Until we have clarity on the UK / EU trading relationship from April onwards, as a responsible employer we must continue to plan for the worst-case scenario, which is what a no-deal Brexit would represent.

“We are therefore putting sensible measures in place, in order to minimize the disruption which could occur immediately following Brexit.”

Tom Silverberg, the general manager in The Tuppeny pub in Old Town, told the Adver he had concerns over a watering down of employment rights. “A lot of the impact in the bar and service industry will be to workers’ rights and regulations,” he said.

“That’s why some firms are pushing for it, so they can pay their workers a little bit lower, leaving them to pay their rent by tips like in America.

“I think a lot of the protections, like minimum wages, have been beneficial policies from the EU. I think a lot of people don’t actually pay attention to where a lot of the worker protections come from.”

Retailers that import from EU countries are especially worried and have seen prices go up ever since the referendum.

Paolo, from Dapaolo Simple Italian Deli on Commercial Road, told the Adver: “As soon as Brexit was announced prices went up. Food imports from the EU could become considerably more expensive because customs duties would be applied to trade in food between the EU and the UK.

“We don’t see people spending at moment, and with rent increase its proving a difficult start for the year.

“We will be working manically behind the scenes in order to compete with my rivals, the supermarkets.

“It is up to the British people to come to a conclusion about whether they believe the UK would be better off staying within the EU or leaving it entirely.”