THE Confederation of British Industry’s president has declared during a visit to Edinburgh that the current priority should be clarity on a future UK-European Union deal, and ensuring Scotland’s needs are included, rather than “constitutional issues”.

Paul Drechsler urged the next UK government to take swift action on crucial Brexit-related issues and to take all of the devolved nations, including Scotland, with it. And Mr Drechsler, addressing CBI Scotland’s annual lunch, warned against a “collapse” by the UK into World Trade Organisation rules on future trade with the EU.

He also declared, as he mulled the necessary foundations for future economic growth in Scotland, that business “abhors uncertainty”.

Mr Drechsler highlighted a need to “secure the status” of people from other EU countries already living in the UK.

In a raft of surveys, businesses in Scotland and elsewhere in the UK have hammered home the importance of the UK Government providing reassurance for employees from other EU member states.

Scottish Chambers of Commerce last month highlighted “anecdotal stories” about people from other EU member states already returning to their home countries.

Looking ahead to the snap General Election called by Prime Minister Theresa May for June 8, Mr Drechsler said: “The new UK government, whoever it is, will have to take action quickly. In particular, they should secure the status of EU citizens in the UK, rule out a collapse into WTO trade rules and start conversations about our future trading relationship with the EU as soon as possible. And all the while taking Scotland, and the other devolved nations, with them.”

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon secured Scottish Parliament approval in March to ask the UK Government for powers to hold a second independence referendum between autumn 2018 and spring 2019. Ms Sturgeon had declared, in the immediate wake of the Brexit vote last June, that another independence referendum was “highly likely”.

Highlighting his view that “stability” was a key ingredient of growth, Mr Drechsler said: “Everybody knows that business abhors uncertainty. And it doesn’t matter how keen Scottish businesses are to thrive - at the moment there’s more than enough uncertainty to go round.

“That’s why we at the CBI think that the current priority should be clarity on what a future UK-EU deal could look like, and ensuring the needs of Scotland are included. Rather than constitutional issues.”

Mr Drechsler declared that “a successful UK economy needs all its component parts firing on all cylinders”.

He told CBI members: “There are some key priorities that you’ve flagged to us…that could help fire up the Scottish economy.

“One: the new UK-EU relationship has to work for Scotland. Two: it must remain easy to do business across the different nations of the UK. Three: we must ramp up efforts to boost Scotland’s position on the world stage. Four: the Scottish Government and UK Government must provide some colour on what the UK industrial strategy means for Scotland.

“And five: Westminster and Holyrood must work together, with business, in pursuit of prosperity.”

Mr Drechsler also declared that many firms across Scotland were “really struggling with the rise in business rates”.

He added: “We want to see rates reform fast-tracked.”

Mr Drechsler, who is chairman of the Bibby Line Group and noted his experience of this company’s offshore unit based in Aberdeen, highlighted the extent of the North Sea downturn, and its impact on the north-east economy.

Arguing there was a need for diversification of Scotland’s economy, Mr Drechsler said: “It’s clear that Scotland’s economy leans heavily on offshore services for jobs and tax receipts. And the big risk with imbalance is that you’re at the mercy of macroeconomics.”

He added: “The North Sea oil industry haemorrhaged 150 jobs per day in 2015/16. The stark reality is that the local economy isn’t diverse enough to pick up the slack for those losses – and that should be a wake-up call for everybody.”