THE Prime Minister’s Brexit Deal will provide the UK’s £130 billion digital sector with the certainty it needs to continue to thrive, claims Jeremy Wright, secretary of state for Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport.

However, more than 2,000 tech leaders have rejected the PM’s deal and and called for the people to have the final say on Brexit.

Digital and tech industries employ more than 2.1 million across the UK and in Southampton the sector is worth £1.4 billion per year and employs more than 11,000.

The government estimate three-quarters of the UK’s service exports to the EU rely on data flows which must continue unhindered post Brexit.

Many companies are now dependent on services such as cloud computing to power their services while others use data to programme and test new technology.

Mr Wright said: “Our message to Southampton’s world-leading digital and tech businesses is clear. We have secured the best deal possible to protect our businesses and make sure our personal data is processed safely and securely.

“The deal will help support our talented tech innovators, future emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, while addressing unjustified barriers to digital trade.

“Businesses big and small and in every sector of the economy - from video games makers to hotel and travel companies, mail order firms to manufacturers - want certainty. We now need to back the Prime Minister and get the job done.”

Tech Nation CEO Gerard Grech said: “The current deal is pragmatic and creates an element of certainty going forward.”

However, 2,300 key figures from tech and video games industries disagree and have written to the PM to say her Brexit deal will cause crippling uncertainty, drain the UK of talent and hit investment in business as the UK misses out on future EU funding programmes

Letters organised by Tech For UK and Games4EU were delivered to 10 Downing Street.

Signatories to the letters include bosses and senior figures at peer-to-peer lender Zopa, ticketing startup Masabi, language learning firm Busuu and small business banking provider Tide; Deliveroo; video games companies Monument Valley, Fable, King, Riot Games and Yogscast.

They also include leading figures from the tech world including Martha Lane Fox (Doteveryone.org.uk), Dr Sue Black (tech evangelist responsible for saving Bletchley Park), and Ian Livingstone (founder of Games Workshop).

Mr Livingstone said: “By creating a climate of uncertainty and removing many of the existing benefits of EU membership, this deal will harm our thriving games industry and cost us in jobs and growth. That’s why we’re calling on MPs to reject the deal and give people the final say on Brexit.”