BIRMINGHAM: “Divor­­­ces always cost you a lot of money,” sighed Charlie Mullins, one of many British bosses pushing ministers for more details on life post-Brexit at the Conservative Party’s annual conference.

Dressed in an electric blue suit, Mullins is the charismatic founder of Pimlico Plumbers, whose vans are a common sight in the British capital and whose clients reportedly include Richard Branson.

Fronting his company’s stall at the conference, he outlined concerns that Prime Minister Theresa May’s government is keeping business in the dark over leaving the European Union.

May, who took power in July, is playing her cards close to her chest. On Sunday, she said Brexit negotiations with Brussels would be triggered by the end of March, paving the way for Britain to quit in early 2019.

That was the first real detail about how the exit process will work from a prime minister whose catchphrase has become “Brexit means Brexit”.

“She’s got to press the button in March, then they will let us know what’s going to happen. I think it’s quite worrying,” Mullins, a Conservative backer who opposed Brexit, told AFP. “She doesn’t really know what they’re going to offer us when she presses the button and I think she’s going to come in for a shock.”

Philip Mowat, whose company Tie Club makes custom ties and scarves, was another who had a stall at the conference in Birmin­gham, central England, alongside others selling everything from cakes to cufflinks and candles.

“The economy doesn’t like instability and that’s something that is already happening,” he added.

‘PRESSING’ DECISIONS: While Britain’s economy has performed better than many experts expected since June’s surprise Brexit vote, with unemployment and retail sales staying resilient, some fear that the worst is yet to come.

Analysts say May seems to be moving towards a “hard” Brexit, meaning Britain would sever all links with EU institutions, pull out of the single market and curb EU immigration.

Published in Dawn October 4th, 2016