With the political whirlwind that is Brexit far from easing up, the biggest employer in Royston has given the Crow its perspective on events in Westminster and what it means for the firm and the 2,000 people it employs in the town.

Britain is leaving the EU in nine weeks, and there is currently no deal in place after Prime Minister Theresa May’s deal was rejected by 230 votes – the largest defeat for a sitting government in history – on Tuesday last week.

But how does the uncertainty in parliament translate to local businesses and people on the ground? Science firm Johnson Matthey have told us it is prepared to navigate these testing times.

A spokeswoman for the firm – which has its Royston base in Orchard Road – told the Crow: “While Brexit creates some business and economic uncertainty, as a 200-year-old business we have experienced significant periods of change and have always successfully adapted to it.

“We have a Brexit working group in place which has developed plans for a range of Brexit scenarios to ensure we are well-placed to navigate the uncertainty. The working group has put in place a number of actions with a specific focus on trade, regulation, customers and our people.

“For Johnson Matthey, certainty is better than uncertainty in the business environment and a smooth transition better than a rough one.

“So we would prefer an agreed deal in some form, rather than a hard Brexit at the end of March.

“We are confident in the plans we have made for possible Brexit scenarios and we are in a good position to manage the effects on our European operations, including those in Royston.

“Over the past 18 months, we have had significant engagement with our local representatives and other government figures, and we will continue to do so going forward.

“We will continue to focus on executing our business strategy, and our priorities remain the same – to grow by investing in R&D, our manufacturing facilities and our employees; improving our health and safety performance, and delivering the very best products and service for our customers.

“Our facility in Royston is an important part of this strategy with approximately 2,000 people employed there working on the science and sustainable technologies to deliver a cleaner, healthier world.”