Brexit

Figures published by the Builders Merchant Federation (BMF) have revealed the extent to which the construction industry’s recovery could be hit if the UK's transition period out of the EU ends without a deal. The body, representing 751 merchants and suppliers with combined sales of £38bn, said it expects trade…

The new Port of Tilbury could be used to move offsite components made in warehouses into central London sites by river or rail, the commercial director of its expansion project has said. Tilbury2, a £250m port, built next to the existing Port of Tilbury in Essex, features a freight ferry…

The construction sector has been left out of a roster of new Trade Advisory Groups (TAGs), which were launched yesterday to offer guidance to the government during its final Brexit negotiations. The end of the current transition period is expected in the new year. A total of 11 TAGs were…

Royal Bam, the Dutch parent company of Bam Construct and Bam Nuttall, has reported a first-half 2020 loss of €134m (£121m) on revenues of €3.108bn (£2.805bn). Turnover was down 10 per cent on the €3.454bn (£3.118bn) reported in the first half of 2019. The loss proved to be at the…

The Construction Leadership Council (CLC) has set up a group that will release industry guidance on Brexit ahead of the close of the transition period in the new year. The Brexit working group also will aim to identify critical issues facing the industry in the event of the UK failing…

Plaster and some other key building materials continue to be affected by supply shortages, with ready availability unlikely to be re-established until mid-to-late September, according to the head of the Builders Merchants Federation (BMF). BMF chief executive John Newcomb told Construction News that merchants and manufacturers were working flat-out to meet…

The government will launch a consultation in the autumn ahead of planned changes to statutory Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) as the UK leaves the European Union. In his “build, build, build” speech on 30 June, prime minister Boris Johnson hinted at radical reforms to environmental protections, saying that “newt-counting delays”…

Construction companies have been encouraged by a legal expert to make use of loopholes within new immigration policies unveiled this week by the government. Fieldfisher senior associate and head of UK immigration Gillian McKearney said she would “advise businesses to start planning the future of their workforce and make the…

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has hit out at the government over its new immigration policy. The points-based system, unveiled last week, will mean migrants looking to come to the UK for work will need to be skilled, speak English and be sponsored by an employer. Speaking at Mayor’s Question…

Wates has stockpiled cladding to keep its £83m Anthology Hale mixed-use development on track in the event of Brexit causing delays to supplies, Construction News can reveal. The contractor, which began work on the 33-storey tower in Tottenham, north London, in October 2018, was given a 130-week deadline by its client, which…