The United Kingdom will continue to influence the world and “a lot” of countries will want bilateral trade deals with her after Brexit, according to BP boss Bob Dudley.
“There are a lot of countries around the world that would like trade deals with Britain bilaterally down the road, I hear that a lot,” the American chief executive told The Times.
Dudley, 62, dismissed suggestions that the nation’s status would be reduced after she left the European Union (EU), telling the newspaper of record: “I don’t think British influence is diminished. BP works all over the world and I see the importance of Britain in what we do and how they view BP.”
The senior figure in British business also said that Brexit would have a “very minor” impact on BP, the world’s sixth largest oil and gas company headquartered in London which last week reported profits of $2.8 (£2.02) billion across 72 countries.
Dudley’s voice has been added to those of other leading business figures who say that the UK will have a positive future post-Brexit.
Ahead of the Brexit vote in June 2016, leading British exporter and JCB boss Lord Bamford told his UK employees that there was “very little to fear” from leaving the EU.
In March 2016, John Longworth quit as director general of the British Chambers of Commerce after saying that the UK could have a “brighter” future outside the EU, accusing then-Prime Minister David Cameron of peddling “highly irresponsible” scare stories ahead of the referendum.
Since the Brexit vote, the UK was ranked the seventh-best country in the world to do business, held her ranking as the third most favourable destination for companies to invest, and British manufacturing order books saw a 30-year high.
The UK was also predicted to outperform France, Germany, and the entire Eurozone in the coming years – in defiance of ‘Project Fear’ predictions that a vote to leave the bloc would result in a recession, job losses, and a loss of foreign investors.
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