Leaving the EU without a trading deal would harm the Continent more than Britain, Sir James Dyson has claimed.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4 on Thursday, the tech billionaire appeared to support a so-called ‘hard Brexit’ where the UK leaves the bloc without securing trading rights.
He told the Today programme: “I suspect that we’ll have to leave without a deal and that we’ll trade under [World Trade Organisation] regulations, which frankly are going to hurt the Europeans more than the British.”
“Britain is putting forward very positive suggestions and they are not being reciprocated by the other side. But that doesn’t particularly surprise me,” he said.
Asked if a hard Brexit would hurt his own business, Dyson added: “Not at all actually. We already pay the WTO tariff into Europe and it hasn’t hurt us at all. We’re one of the fastest growing companies in Europe.”
But his comments drew fierce reaction from people online.
While others mentioned Dyson’s decision to offshore manufacturing jobs from the UK to elsewhere a decade ago.
The firm continues to employ an estimated 5,000 people in hi-tech roles in the UK.
But while leaving the bloc without a trading deal may not hurt Dyson’s business, he may lose money in other ways.
As one of Britain’s biggest farm owners, Dyson reportedly receives millions in agriculture grants from the EU.
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