The Chemicals Industry Association (CIA) has called on the government to use the latest extension granted by the EU to find a way to break the impasse over Brexit and not to “simply use the next six months for further delay”.

In a statement after the European Council agreed a new departure date for the UK from the EU of 31 October 2019, the CIA said that while it welcomed the fact that this meant the country could avoid a no-deal scenario, the extension also meant that uncertainty would continue for businesses in the UK and EU alike.

The organisation stated that chemicals businesses are being damaged as a result of the prolonged period of uncertainty. It stated that three years after the referendum, they still have “no greater clarity on the final outcome” and stressed that many companies in this sector are “sitting with their fingers on the pause button, at best, in terms of investment decisions”.

CIA members and others working in toll processing and the chemicals industry are looking for a solution that avoids tariff and non-tariff barriers, while providing the sector with regulatory continuity it added.

A further challenge is in ensuring that businesses in the industry continue to have access to skilled people.

The CIA closed its statement by urging politicians to work together to break the Brexit deadlock.

“All politicians now need to show a collective responsibility – a quality that has been sadly lacking – to lead and deliver a solution for our country that helps boost business confidence and greater investment in the UK,” it asserted.

This is far from the first time the industry has criticised the government’s handling of Brexit. In November last year, the Chemical Business Association described the plans for regulation of the sector in the event of a hard Brexit as “unworkable”.