If you want to try to make some sense of what a no deal Brexit might mean to your business, the government is offering some advice on a new EU Exit Readiness Tool online at www.gov.uk/business-uk-leaving-eu.

To use the tool you have to answer seven questions so you get information most relevant to you. You can go back and put in different answers to cover different aspects of your business. Guidance includes what is changing in the construction sector, and information on rules and regulations.

Under a no deal, World Trade Organisation tariffs would apply, which would, for example, add 2.2% duty to the price of stone saws. Stone itself does not carry a WTO duty. It would be open to the UK government to impose any additional duties on imports. Brexit will mean more paperwork involved in crossing borders in and out of the UK.

All the papers offering guidance begin in the same way. They say:

Delivering the deal negotiated with the EU remains the government’s top priority. This has not changed.

However, the government must prepare for every eventuality, including a no deal scenario. For 2 years, the government has been implementing a significant programme of work to ensure that the UK is prepared to leave the EU on 29 March 2019.

It has always been the case that as we get nearer to that date, preparations for a no deal scenario would have to be accelerated. We must ensure plans are in place should they need to be relied upon.

In the summer, the government published a series of 106 technical notices setting out information to allow businesses and citizens to understand what they would need to do in a no deal scenario so they can make informed plans and preparations.

This technical notice offers guidance for continued planning in the event of no deal. Also included is an overarching framing notice explaining the government’s approach to preparing the UK for this outcome in order to minimise disruption and ensure a smooth and orderly exit.