FOR many, discussions of how the financial services sector is likely to be hit by a bad Brexit deal may sound like a very London-centric problem, but a new report by the Centre for Cities shows this to be far from the case.

The report shows that in 2017, up to 7.3% of all jobs in Southampton were in financial services. Much of the trade these services do is with the EU, and a poor Brexit deal will put these jobs at risk; far from affecting just London, a Brexit deal that doesn’t include frictionless access to the EU market for financial services will impact us all.

That’s why the Liberal Democrats are committed to giving the people – not politicians – the final say on the Brexit deal, including the option to remain in the EU. Everyone can see the Conservatives are making a mess of Brexit, and Jeremy Corbyn is helping to deliver it. It is taking longer than we thought; costing more than we thought; it’s more complicated than we thought. In all this confusion and chaos, what else don’t we know?

Tom Brake MP

Liberal Democrat Spokesperson on Exiting the European Union