It was Groundhog Day last week, when fanciful folk in Pennsylvania gather to see a large rodent emerge from its burrow, which tradition says foretells how long the winter will be. 

But here in the UK, every day of the last couple of hundred has felt like Groundhog Day – at least, like the 1993 comedy film. Since well before Christmas, we’ve been waking up every day to find the EU withdrawal process stuck on prime minister Theresa May’s apparent inability to lead the Commons and the country to a satisfactory exit deal. 

But lack of progress with Brexit is no laughing matter for business, including the construction industry. “We are at five to midnight, everybody is waiting for it to strike 12 and the minute hand doesn’t seem to be moving,” says James Morris, founder of project and cost management consultant Tower Eight. 

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