Economic effects of Brexit

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Theresa May has told MPs they have "one last chance" to deliver Brexit, as she set out a "new Brexit deal".

MPs will get a vote on whether to hold another referendum if they back the EU Withdrawal Agreement Bill, she said.

But Adam Marshall, director general of the British Chambers of Commerce, said:

"Businesses need concrete outcomes to plan for the future. In the absence of parliamentary consensus on either the withdrawal agreement or any other proposition for the future, both businesses and investment remain in limbo.

"Companies across the UK are frustrated, but most are still concerned about the prospect of a messy and disorderly exit from the EU. The date may have changed, but the practical questions businesses face remain the same - and the real-world impacts of parliamentary indecision and delay are growing each and every day."

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Analyst Howard Archer warns of a false positive in March's retail sales figures.

"It is very possible that retail sales could have gained a lift in March from some stockpiling of goods by consumers wary of a disruptive Brexit at the end of March," he says.

If we all spend April using up our stockpiles of tinned beans and toilet roll retail sales will suffer.

He does think in general consumers have been "resilient" when it comes to Brexit worries but he reckons retailers will be wary that that could change in the next few months.

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Britain has overtaken the US as the world's top investment destination, according to a biannual survey by the consultancy and accounting giant EY.

The US has held the number one spot since 2014. This is the first time Britain has topped the ranking in the report was launched 10 years ago during the global financial crisis.

The results of the report are pretty surprising given the prevailing wisdom is that the geopolitical uncertainty around Brexit - especially if there is no deal - will hurt foreign investment and possibly push the UK into a severe recession.