Over 45% of EU's Leading Businesses Cut Investment in UK Ahead of Brexit - Poll

LONDON (Sputnik) - More than 45 percent of leading European businesses have curtailed their investment in the United Kingdom ahead of the pending Brexit, a survey by the Baker McKenzie multinational law and consultancy company, issued on Monday, showed.

The report "Brexit and Business: The EU Outlook" looks into the impact of Brexit on 800 businesses of six major EU markets, such as France, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden and Ireland.

"[A total of] 46% of respondents from EU27 businesses say that their company has reduced investment in the UK," the report said.

Forty-seven percent of businesses reported reduced trade or operations in the country, with 46 percent noting that they had already felt disruption to their supply chains resulting in view of the Brexit vote.

A total of 800 respondents took part in the survey.

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Earlier in June, the company’s reports showed that a total of 56 percent of skilled workers surveyed said that they were "highly likely" or "quite likely" to leave the country before the Brexit negotiations were finalized, with healthcare, technology media and telecoms and financial services sectors supposed to be the most affected.

The United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union in a referendum in 2016. The Brexit negotiations officially kicked off in June 2017 and are expected to be completed by the end of March 2019, with the country leaving the bloc.