With the UK grappling over Brexit negotiations, businessman and London's Deputy Mayor, Rajesh Agrawal is believed to be at the forefront of the ensuing chaos, defending the capital for business. Downing Street, Agrawal said, had no choice but to co-operate with the City since Theresa May lost the Conservatives' majority in the House of Commons. He said the government had to act quickly to reassure nervous executives.
“This is what I would love to see more from the government. It's unrealistic to think that we will just negotiate and it will be hunky dory. It will be great if it's possible, but we have to be realistic and that's why it would really help for the government to have an early reassurance or at least signs around a transitional arrangement. It is very important because otherwise businesses are not going to wait until March 2019... before they press the big red button of moving some of (their operations). Early signs for businesses on some of these things would really help.” Agrawal said the time to depoliticise the most divisive political issue is now.
“Businesses want to keep the politics out of it. Businesses want to do business and they should be allowed to do that,” he said. He also remains positive of businesses continuing to expand in Britain after the country's exit from Europe. “Everything is possible,” he said. “We are just beginning the negotiation.” As optimistic as he is, he also sees the big errors ministers have made so far. Agrawal said May waited for too long to confirm that three million EU citizens living in the UK could stay after Brexit. “It took them a year to come up with something like that and it's still clear as mud, really.”
“People work hard to come out of poverty, but what we are finding is (that) there are people who are working very hard but they're still poor and that caused a big discontent among people,” Agrawal said. This was one of the several reasons voters endorsed Brexit. “There are people who are in two jobs but are still struggling to make ends meet.”
