Impossible to prepare for hard Brexit, businesses would suffer: Branson

British PM Theresa May lobbied European leaders for help on Thursday after surviving a parliamentary mutiny that highlighted the deadlock over Brexit

British entrepreneur Richard Branson warned on Thursday companies would be left reeling like boxers if Britain left the European Union without a deal to smooth its exit, and cast doubt on the effectiveness of drawing up contingency plans.
 

Branson, the co-founder of Virgin Group, whose interests include the Virgin Atlantic airline, told Reuters he hoped political turmoil seen in Britain over the past week would force politicians to shy away from a 'hard Brexit.' "As a businessman I know how much our businesses have already suffered from the original (2016) referendum to now. If there were a hard Brexit then