UK manufacturers can afford to wait on an EU deal, but not to crash out

Theresa May says any delay to article 50 will force companies out of Britain. But the alternative - a bad Brexit - is worse

One of Downing Street's many arguments in favour of Theresa May's Brexit deal is that further delay will persuade many of the UK's biggest companies to stop procrastinating about their investment plans and move some or all of their activities abroad.

Bosses have spent long enough watching and waiting to see what kind of Brexit unfolds. Another six months, while parliament moves in the direction of a general election or a referendum on the current deal with the European Union, would break their resolve, say May's supporters.