United Kingdom government officials met with the council of the British Plastics Federation in London Jan. 18, just one day after Prime Minister Theresa May made her historic speech about how the country will negotiate its exit from the European Union.
The BPF said the government representatives held “a direct discussion about the issues and opportunities arising from Brexit” with the federation council, which is made up of leading firms from the plastics sector.
At the meeting were representatives from the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), the Department for International Trade (DIT) and the Department for Exiting the European Union (DExEU).
“The BPF has been in dialogue with Government about Brexit ever since the result of the referendum was announced,” said Philip Law, director general of the BPF. “This meeting was a great opportunity for them to engage directly with industry in a face to face meeting.
“The [government] delegation was in listening mode and was very keen to hear direct from our member firms what their ideal outcome from the Brexit negotiations were.”
BPF president, David Hall, said: “It was refreshing to hear that they understood the issues the industry are facing and that they were keen to learn the impacts Brexit is likely to have on businesses in the plastics industry. They have a good team and they are keen to bat for our side.”
The BPF has been active in preparing for Brexit and has previously published a document entitled "Securing the Future — Priorities for the UK Plastics Industry in a New UK-EU Relationship" which included the findings of a member wide survey on priorities in Brexit negotiations.
The BPF also established a Brexit Taskforce In September last year. This acts as an advisory panel to the BPF on its work with government on Brexit.
