Insolvencies of British manufacturing businesses has hit a five-year high rising 7% to 1 466 in the last year (to September 30 2019), up from 1 373 the previous year, according to chartered accountants and business advisers, Moore. Managing partner Robert Branch says the rise in manufacturing businesses going insolvent is being driven in part by Brexitrelated uncertainty and a broader slowdown across Europe. UK manufacturing orders fell for the sixth consecutive month in October. In June this year nearly a third of UK manufacturers said they had received a lower number of orders than usual. There are also concerns in the sector that some European manufacturers are looking to cut UK-based manufacturers out of their supply chains in order to guard against the impact of a possible “no-deal Brexit”, which would see a dramatic increase in the cost of components bought from UK manufacturers by businesses within the EU due to tariffs and shipping delays.