Advertising Association comment on result of the meaningful vote

Following yesterday evening’s vote (Tuesday 15th January) in Parliament on the Draft Withdrawal Agreement with the EU, the Advertising Association has issued the following statement:

Stephen Woodford, Chief Executive, Advertising Association, commented:

“A ‘No Deal’ Brexit is hugely concerning for the UK advertising industry – a crucial sector that contributes £132bn to British GDP. The meaningful vote result shows there is no majority support in Parliament for the Prime Minister’s Withdrawal Agreement. As such, it is important that the Government quickly comes up with a viable alternative to reduce uncertainty for business and the UK as a whole. We would rather have no-deal taken off the table, given its potentially huge disruptive nature. Falling back to WTO terms would leave the industry facing a number of non-tariff barriers as most advertising restrictions around the world are rooted in domestic regulation.

“Our position is that there are three essentials the Government must negotiate as a minimum for the advertising industry: continued cross-border data flows; plurality of broadcasting channels to carry cross-border advertising; and a flexible migration system that allows continued access to the best talent. UK advertising has benefitted from a virtuous circle of attracting the world’s best talent attracting more business and in turn, that attracting more talent, creating jobs for international and UK people.

“The UK is the world’s most internationally diverse hub for advertising, generating stellar growth in exports and a strong trade surplus in advertising services. The choices we make over the coming weeks will determine our post-Brexit success and if there is a flexible, business-friendly system we will have higher growth and stronger exports, than if we have a highly-restrictive regime, which would only benefit our international competitors.

“The Advertising Association will continue to advocate the best deal and outcome possible from Brexit to ensure the UK remains the world’s advertising hub.”