Aviation giant Airbus is threatening to leave Britain if the country leaves the European Union without an agreement on future trading relations — a warning that caused alarm among business leaders concerned about the pace of discussions ahead of next year's exit. The company, which employs about 14,000 people at 25 sites in the UK, said it will "reconsider its long-term footprint in the country" if there is no deal.

Airbus also says the currently proposed transition deal that runs through December 2020 is too short for the company to reorganise its supply chain. "In any scenario, Brexit has severe negative consequences for the UK aerospace industry and Airbus in particular. Therefore, immediate mitigation measures would need to be accelerated," said Tom Williams, CEO of Airbus Commercial Aircraft.