Dudley North MP Ian Austin is calling on West Midlands Mayor Andy Street to properly assess the impact Brexit could have in the West Midlands.

In December London Mayor Sadiq Kahn announced a report on the likely impact Brexit could have on nine sectors of the London economy, including financial and professional services, hospitality services, construction and science and technology and Austin is calling on the Mayor to commission similar research for the West Midlands.

The London Mayor’s report looked at how different deals for the UK could impact the capital, and Austin wants to see the Mayor commission similar impact reports for the West Midlands so that people have a better idea of what to expect after the UK leaves the EU and local businesses can prepare. Austin said:

“The Mayor should be campaigning to get the best deal for the West Midlands but how can he do that when he doesn’t know what impact Brexit could have on businesses, jobs, tourism, investment and other areas of the economy?

“50,000 jobs in the West Midlands depend on automotive manufacturing, so I want the best deal for this area with an agreement that helps local businesses, boosts trade and brings new jobs to the region and protects employment rights.

“We must also be fighting to make sure the government uses the money we were promised would be saved from EU contributions to improve public services like the NHS and replace the funds we currently get from the EU, like the £50 million a year the Black Country currently gets for skills, training and other programmes to help businesses and get more people into better jobs.”