Ed Molyneux, CEO and co-founder of FreeAgent – who provide award-winning cloud accounting software to freelancers, micro-businesses and their accountants – said:

“The UK’s micro-business sector has been calling out for more information about how the UK will leave the EU, so the publication of today’s whitepaper is a welcome step. However, I believe that the government still needs to go much further if it wants to allay the fears that people who run their own businesses have about Brexit.” 

“We recently surveyed more than 700 micro-business owners across the country and found that the overwhelming majority were not happy with the result of the EU referendum. Nearly three quarters of them (70%) thought that Brexit would have a negative impact on the UK – with political and economic instability being highlighted as the primary concern – while 84% of respondents said they didn’t think they had been given enough information about the impact that Brexit would have on their businesses.” 

“Given that micro-businesses comprise 95% of the UK’s total number of businesses, that’s a significant section of the economy that is feeling anxious about the post-Brexit future. Now that the government has published its plan for leaving the EU, I hope these micro-business owners remain front of mind and are kept fully informed throughout the whole of the Brexit process.”