Brexit is hampering UK productivity, says Bank policymaker

Silvana Tenreyro, a member of the bank's monetary policy committee, said firms will delay investment due to uncertainty

The uncertainty caused by Brexit is deterring companies from investing and hampering Britain's ability to close its productivity gap with other leading developed countries, a Bank of England policymaker has warned.

Silvana Tenreyro, one of the nine members of Threadneedle Street's monetary policy committee (MPC), which sets UK interest rates, said 75% of the decrease in growth of output per worker since the financial crisis a decade ago was due to manufacturing and financial services, but that a period of catch-up was feasible.

Productivity is an economic measure of the efficiency of a workforce. It typically measures the level of output per hour of work, or per worker.