'Once in a lifetime opportunity': Calls grow for government to deliver on Green Brexit promises

Sam Lowe, senior research fellow at the Centre for European Reform, told BusinessGreen the idea the UK can use Brexit to become a "world leader" on future environmental standards was "slightly naïve". "As a relatively smaller economy we'll struggle to pull away from the regulatory gravity of our nearest neighbour," he warned. "Of course we can innovate and push forward with new technologies, but it is yet to be determined whether we can be more effective outside of the EU than in."

He acknowledged there will be opportunities to export the UK's world-leading clean tech expertise and green business knowledge in future, but argued that "it remains unclear whether this will be helped or hindered by Brexit - the fact we are seeking to make it more difficult for people to work across borders, not less, suggests the latter".