The Brexit debate takes a new turn every week. In November the Supreme Court ruled that MPs had to be consulted via a parliamentary vote before the government could trigger Article 50 and begin formal negotiations, currently planned for March.

With the dust settling on Brexit, the realisation of what it means for the construction industry is starting to become clear.

Even before the vote on Europe, the skills shortage within the sector was reaching crisis point, so we need to ensure that leaving Europe doesn’t reduce the migrant labour pool further – as a country and as employers, we need to be encouraging foreign workers to seek work here. And in more creative industries, such as architecture, strength comes from diversity so we mustn’t lose that either. Any cap on migrants must be related to what our country needs to be successful.

Several industries have also now started voicing their support for certain “special measures” on labour rules. With the Redfern Review highlighting the housing crisis and the falling rate of homeownership, and the government now needing to build 300,000 new homes each year to meet demand, the construction sector has a particularly robust case for qualifying.