IT was the biggest upset in British politics for a generation.

Six months ago to the day, Bradford, Yorkshire and the UK voted to leave the European Union, despite the leaders of all three main political parties campaigning to remain.

The shock result led to the resignation of David Cameron as Prime Minister and prompted much discussion about disillusioned working-class voters in Bradford and other northern cities and towns turning against the political elites.

But what effect has the historic vote had on the Bradford district so far, and what might lie in store for the local economy once Britain does leave?

According to the Bradford Chamber of Commerce, it has been business-as-usual for many local companies.

President Andy Caton said: “The Chamber’s own research has reported that the EU referendum has had only minimal effect on recruitment and investment decisions for companies within the Bradford district.

“We did report a drop in company profit expectations immediately after the referendum, however our latest survey results which will be published in January show that outlooks improved in the final quarter of 2016.”

He said 2016’s final quarter has also seen a rise in export sales across the district, likely down to the weak pound.

He added: “Business in Bradford remain resilient and I am confident that opportunities will be available for those companies who choose to seek them out. The Chamber will continue to support companies as they seek out new markets both home and abroad.”

Shipley’s Conservative MP Philip Davies had been one of the first politicians to call for Britain to leave the EU, more than a decade ago.

He said: “All the Doomsday predictions about what would happen to the economy, locally and nationally, if we voted to leave, have proved to be way off the mark.”

He said now he was pushing for “what the public voted for” - a full exit from the EU.

Asked what he thought the long-term effect of Brexit on the district would be, he said: “A lot of that is down to Bradford itself. I think that the UK economy will do well. It’s up to Bradford to make itself appealing for people to want to invest there.

“Being in the EU or out of it, we can’t just sit back and expect money to either roll in or dry up.”

One prominent business figure calling for Britain to remain in the EU had Richard J Carter, the UK managing director of global chemical firm BASF.

Remain campaigner Lord Mandelson had visited the BASF plant in Low Moor a week before the referendum, where he had warned that if Britain voted to leave, international manufacturing companies could be driven away from creating jobs here by the years of economic uncertainty which would follow.

But have Lord Mandelson’s fears been borne out?

Mr Carter said: “It might mean that any new investment decisions could theoretically go to other countries, so our goal is to promote our activities in the UK and in Bradford.

“Our desire is to make it an increasingly competitive site.”

Mr Carter would not go as far as to rule out any job losses in future, but said BASF remained firmly committed to staying in Low Moor, where around 600 people are employed, and could even expand.

He said: “We have a very strong commitment to Bradford. We have invested significant amounts in the last three years and we are very happy with the results of those investments.

“We are looking to build and expand in the future because we do have a very good foundation.”

Mr Carter said the biggest problem they currently faced was the uncertainty of what Brexit would bring.

He said: “We were very much of the opinion - and still are - that the UK would be better off remaining in the EU because the argument for us is that uncertainty is not good for business.

“That argument is still as valid, if not more valid, than prior to the referendum.”

Mr Carter said BASF’s core business involved importing and exporting raw materials and products, and often involved moving staff with specific skills between different countries.

He said ironically, while many Leave campaigners had decried EU red tape, the decision to leave the EU may well see BASF’s regulatory work increase.

Mr Carter said he would like to see the Government give “some directional statements” as soon as possible about what the regulatory environment would look like, post-Brexit, to help to dispel some of the uncertainties.

But he said the Government had been “very open for our input” so far.

He said: “They have been pro-active towards us, towards the chemicals industry, and we have all been giving our input.”

Bradford Council’s Labour leader, Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, said businesses had been reporting a “mixed picture” of risks and opportunities so far, and a lot would depend on whether there was a soft or hard Brexit.

Cllr Hinchcliffe, who had backed the Remain campaign, said: “One of Bradford’s strengths is that it is a global city, not just reliant on EU trade.

“Lots of our small businesses are exporters, so for them a weaker pound can be good news.

“But businesses like stability and what they care about is having access to the right skills.

“Some firms have told us that leaving the single market would be a challenge. And we need reassurance from government about EU nationals who are already here and contributing to our economy. So we as a district are very dependent on what kind of Brexit deal the government gets.

“We need a Brexit deal that suits not only the government’s southern heartlands but one which also meets the needs of northern cities like Bradford.

“Our district currently receives EU funding which supports small business, skills and enterprise so we are calling on the government to make sure we continue to get the investment we need after we leave the EU.”

The months after the Brexit vote saw a sharp rise in the number of reported hate crimes nationally.

And while West Yorkshire Police did not see the same pattern locally, there were anecdotal reports of heightened tensions and people from minority backgrounds becoming targets for abuse.

Ratna Lachman, president of racial justice organisation Just Yorkshire, said: “We think it is a priority that West Yorkshire Police actually audits the efficiancy of the current hate-crime reporting arrangements because our suspicion is that post-Brexit, more Muslims are being targeted than necessarily the reports show.”

Mr Davies claimed the “cause and effect is not necessarily known”, and noted that the number of hate crime reports across the country had since dropped again, but said he would like to see it eradicated altogether.

He also said he thought hate crime might reduce once Britain leaves the European Union, saying: “I think the intolerance was borne out of people’s helplessness at the levels of immigration coming to the country and they couldn’t do anything about it.”

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