LONDON: Reversing Britain’s shock referendum to leave the EU would “significantly” boost the economy, the OECD said on Tuesday, while the government inisted there were no plans to cancel Brexit.
“In case Brexit gets reversed by political decision (change of majority, new referendum, etc) the positive impact on growth would be significant,” the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) said in a new report.
The Treasury responded saying: “We are leaving the EU and there will be no second referendum.”
A spokesman for British Prime Minister Theresa May also reiterated the government’s position that there should not be a second referendum, with Brexit due to take place in March 2019.
The OECD meanwhile left its economic growth forecasts for Britain unchanged at 1.6 percent in 2017 and one percent in 2018.
The OECD, which advises industrialized nations on economic policy, said Britain should seek to maintain close economic ties with the European Union to weather the impact of Brexit.
The Paris-based organization warned that a “disorderly Brexit,” one in which no trading relationship was arranged, would constitute a medium-term shock to Britain’s economic growth prospects.
“Business investment would seize up, and heightened price pressures would choke off private consumption,” the organization said.
“Negotiating the closest possible EU-UK economic relationship would limit the cost of exit.”
Britain voted to leave the EU in a shock referendum in June last year.
Speaking to MPs earlier, Bank of England governor Mark Carney blamed a pick-up in inflation to 3.0 percent on the tumbling value of the pound since the Brexit vote, and said that a transition agreement for Britain’s withdrawal from the EU was in “everyone’s interest.”
The country must now “stay calm and carry on,” said OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria at the presentation of the report.
Asked whether the UK should pursue a longer transition period for exiting the EU, Gurria said: “Common sense was invented by the British — if you need more time then give it more time.”
The OECD also said that Brexit could exacerbate Britain’s existing productivity problem by increasing uncertainty and reducing business investment.
Reviving labor productivity growth was a challenge “compounded by Brexit,” it said, calculating that leaving the EU could reduce total factory productivity by about three percent after 10 years due to reduced trade.
The OECD recommended investment targeted at increasing productivity, such as “spending on repair and maintenance or soft investment” if growth weakens further ahead of Brexit.
British finance minister Philip Hammond said that weak productivity was one of the issues he would focus on when he presented his annual budget on November 22.
Reversing Brexit would give ‘significant’ boost to UK: OECD
Reversing Brexit would give ‘significant’ boost to UK: OECD
First EU–Saudi roundtable on critical raw materials reflects shared policy commitment
RIYADH: The EU–Saudi Arabia Business and Investment Dialogue on Advancing Critical Raw Materials Value Chains, held in Riyadh as part of the Future Minerals Forum, brought together senior policymakers, industry leaders, and investors to advance strategic cooperation across critical raw materials value chains.
Organized under a Team Europe approach by the EU–GCC Cooperation on Green Transition Project, in coordination with the EU Delegation to Saudi Arabia, the European Chamber of Commerce in the Kingdom and in close cooperation with FMF, the dialogue provided a high-level platform to explore European actions under the EU Critical Raw Materials Act and ResourceEU alongside the Kingdom’s aspirations for minerals, industrial, and investment priorities.
This is in line with Saudi Vision 2030 and broader regional ambitions across the GCC, MENA, and Africa.
ResourceEU is the EU’s new strategic action plan, launched in late 2025, to secure a reliable supply of critical raw materials like lithium, rare earths, and cobalt, reducing dependency on single suppliers, such as China, by boosting domestic extraction, processing, recycling, stockpiling, and strategic partnerships with resource-rich nations.
The first ever EU–Saudi roundtable on critical raw materials was opened by the bloc’s Ambassador to the Kingdom, Christophe Farnaud, together with Saudi Deputy Minister for Mining Development Turki Al-Babtain, turning policy alignment into concrete cooperation.
Farnaud underlined the central role of international cooperation in the implementation of the EU’s critical raw materials policy framework.
“As the European Union advances the implementation of its Critical Raw Materials policy, international cooperation is indispensable to building secure, diversified, and sustainable value chains. Saudi Arabia is a key partner in this effort. This dialogue reflects our shared commitment to translate policy alignment into concrete business and investment cooperation that supports the green and digital transitions,” said the ambassador.
Discussions focused on strengthening resilient, diversified, and responsible CRM supply chains that are essential to the green and digital transitions.
Participants explored concrete opportunities for EU–Saudi cooperation across the full value chain, including exploration, mining, and processing and refining, as well as recycling, downstream manufacturing, and the mobilization of private investment and sustainable finance, underpinned by high environmental, social, and governance standards.
From the Saudi side, the dialogue was framed as a key contribution to the Kingdom’s industrial transformation and long-term economic diversification agenda under Vision 2030, with a strong focus on responsible resource development and global market integration.
“Developing globally competitive mineral hubs and sustainable value chains is a central pillar of Saudi Vision 2030 and the Kingdom’s industrial transformation. Our engagement with the European Union through this dialogue to strengthen upstream and downstream integration, attract high-quality investment, and advance responsible mining and processing. Enhanced cooperation with the EU, capitalizing on the demand dynamics of the EU Critical Raw Materials Act, will be key to delivering long-term value for both sides,” said Al-Babtain.
Valere Moutarlier, deputy director-general for European industry decarbonization, and directorate-general for the internal market, industry, entrepreneurship and SMEs at European Commission, said the EU Critical Raw Materials Act and ResourceEU provided a clear framework to strengthen Europe’s resilience while deepening its cooperation with international partners.
“Cooperation with Saudi Arabia is essential to advancing secure, sustainable, and diversified critical raw materials value chains. Dialogues such as this play a key role in translating policy ambitions into concrete industrial and investment cooperation,” she added.
