Despite mounting uncertainties concerning the impact Brexit might have on British businesses, Forbes magazine has crowned the UK ‘best country in the world for business’, complementing the nation’s resilience and its ‘technological readiness’.
Britain moved up from fifth place to beat nations such as Germany, the USA and more in the latest set of rankings, which were published earlier this week.
The UK was closely followed by New Zealand, the Netherlands and Sweden, which ranked second, third and fourth, respectively.
Forbes also ranked Britain very highly in a number of other categories, including ‘the size and education of its workforce’ and the nation’s ‘technological readiness’.
The UK ranked in the top 25 in all but one of Forbes’ listed categories – ‘political risk’.
However, although this was seen a weak point for the UK, Forbes said that the nation ultimately ‘remains attractive, due to the resilience it has exhibited over the past year.
It also referenced the fact that unemployment in the UK recently fell to an impressive 42-year low.
Commenting on the rankings, John Longworth, former Head of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said: “This week the CBI reported manufacturing order books at a 30-year high and now Forbes are saying we are the best country in which to do business. This confounds the naysayers at the IMF, Bank of England and Treasury and shows the future is bright for Brexit Britain.”
Meanwhile, Jeff Lessard, a prominent Real Estate Consultant who advises businesses on relocation, added: “The best thing going for the UK is that London is one of three global hubs for financial services.
“Post-Brexit [vote], a few European cities have the opportunity to challenge London but each has [its own] deficiencies.”