Major technology firms warn that Brexit will pose 'significant threat' to business

IBM has said that the UK could easily lose its position as an AI and cyber-security leader

Several major technology firms, including IBM and Amazon, have warned the UK government that Brexit will bring a significant threat to their businesses.

In comments submitted as part of a consultation on post-Brexit immigration policies, the companies cited skilled worker shortages and the possible necessity of moving head offices as challenges that would need to be solved.

Brexit was partly responsible for a massive loss of business confidence last year, according to data from the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.

According to the Mail on Sunday, which cited confidential documents as its source, IBM said that the UK risks losing its status as a home for artificial intelligence and cyber-security excellence.

IBM committed to opening four new UK data centres in 2016, at which time it said it was ‘confident' in the strength of the country's economy.

Electricite de France SA, the largely state-owned electricity utility company, is taking part in the ongoing construction of the Hinkley Point C nuclear reactor in Somerset. It has warned that a lack of the 7,500 skilled workers it needs could push the completion date back past the 2027 target.

Other companies, including John Lewis, McDonald's and Centrica (the parent of British Gas), have described a range of other post-Brexit threats, including the potential shortage of medicines and bottlenecks in e-commerce deliveries during peak buying seasons.

UK immigration from the European Union has fallen by more than half since the 2016 referendum, according to Bloomberg.

MPs have previously warned about the ‘critical need' for digital and technical skills after Brexit, and have criticised the government for its failure to have plans in place to recruit the necessary workers.