Uncertainty over 'Brexit' likely to delay investment in UK, Irish IDA chief warns

Multinationals were probably waiting for result of British referendum on EU before deciding where to locate, says head of Irish investment authority

Global corporations will think twice about investing in the UK while uncertainty reigns over Britain's European Union membership, according to the head of the Irish state body that has attracted Apple, Microsoft and Google to Ireland.

Appealing to the UK to remain within the EU, Martin Shanahan, chief executive of the Republic's Industrial Development Authority, said "it would be naive" if overseas investors were not factoring in the possibility of the British leaving the EU when deciding where to locate new factories and plants.

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