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Comment from Julian David, CEO, techUK on the Agreement between the UK Government and the European Council yesterday.

“techUK welcomes the Agreement between the UK Government and the European Council on a new Brexit deal. If the UK is to leave the EU then it should do so in an orderly way with an appropriate transition period.  techUK has been clear that a no deal Brexit would be extremely damaging – a recent survey of our members revealed that 71% of respondents thought a no deal Brexit would have a negative impact on their business. We hope the fact that the UK Government and the European Council have been able to reach this agreement means that there is a reduced risk of a no-deal Brexit. 

"Should this Agreement be ratified it would open the next phase of negotiations on the UK's future relationship with the EU. techUK members have told us that they want to see continued close alignment with the EU which is, and will remain, our most important trading partner. In this regard, we are pleased that the revised Political Declaration sets out a clear commitment to achieving a data adequacy agreement by the end of 2020, which is an essential requirement for a modern digital economy."