Tom Goodenough Tom Goodenough

Google’s commitment is good news for Britain. But it doesn’t have much to do with Brexit

Google’s decision to employ an extra 3,000 people in London is undoubtedly great news for Britain. But it’s nonsense to try and tangle the company’s plans as being all – or, indeed, anything – about Brexit.

Of course, it was only a matter of time before Google’s announcement was glimpsed through the Brexit prism. Everything is these days. Some have said the new jobs promised by Google and the firm’s £1bn investment is ‘despite’ the outcome of the referendum. In their coverage of the announcement, Bloomberg said tech firms had been left wondering ‘whether they’ll still be able to hire workers from overseas…after the country leaves the bloc’. This suggested Google’s announcement was something of a risk, given that the government’s Brexit plan is at such a primitive stage. Yet this argument shows the problem with thinking everything is about the referendum. Yes, the restrictions on workers from overseas coming to Britain are likely to change after Brexit. But these regulations are unlikely to strangle those applying for skilled jobs in the tech sector; Philip Hammond, for one, has

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