Surveys conducted by the British Lloyds Bank and market research firm GfK has registered a marked fall in consumer confidence in the United Kingdom with less than a year until the UK leaves the European Union.
General optimism over the collective state of the British economy has also fallen as a result of steel and aluminium tariffs levied by the United States against the EU and China in addition to those countries' retaliatory measures, according to Lloyds Bank's research.
Thomson Reuters also polled representative samples of UK-based economists who apparently worried most about the lack of unity at the heart of Theresa May's government at such a late stage in the negotiation process. Deep divisions have persisted over the closeness of the desired relationship with the EU after Brexit with both Hard Brexiteers and Remain supporters within the Conservative Party having repeatedly threatened the security of the Prime Minister's job if her negotiation strategy doesn't sufficiently represent their vision.