The candidate for the Conservative Party (Rishi Sunak) leaves the campaign office in London on October 24, 2022. ABERTO PEZZALI AP BIRMINGHAM - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pushed back on Monday against calls from companies to improve trade ties with the European Union and liberalise immigration to boost growth, saying that Brexit had already benefitted the country.
READ MORE: Britain leaves the EU, but it's not over yet.
Sunak told business leaders at the Confederation of British Industry CBI conference that Britain should pursue its own agenda on regulation and migration.
The CBI said Britain should create a programme of temporary work visas to boost economic growth and resolve a dispute with the EU over trade rules in Northern Ireland.
According to Sunak, the United Kingdom will not pursue a relationship with Europe that relies on alignment with EU laws under my leadership.
Britain's grim economic outlook, marked by stagnant business investment and sluggish post-Brexit trade, has sparked talk from businesses and economists of closer ties with the EU and a more relaxed approach to immigration as easy ways to boost growth.
READ MORE: UK economy shrinks at start of a feared long recession.
Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt said last week that he was confident that Britain would be able to remove the vast majority of barriers to trade with the EU, without rejoining its single market.
He said that Britain's exit from the EU had brought more flexibility on business regulation and was necessary to secure proper control of the country's borders.
We need regulatory regimes that are fit for the future to make sure that this country can be leaders in the industries that are going to create jobs and the growth of the future. Sunak said that it is important to have the freedom to do that as an opportunity for a lot of people in the EU.
CBI Director General Tony Danker said that businesses were suffering from labour shortages that could be addressed with a better immigration system.
There's a skill mismatch in any case, since we don't have enough Brits to go round for the vacancies that exist, and there's a talent mismatch in any case, Danker said.
Let's have economic migration in areas where we aren't going to get the people and skills at home anytime soon. In return, let's make those visas fixed-term, Danker said.
Danker called on the government to sort out a dispute with the EU over how the bloc's rules should apply in Northern Ireland, which prompted the EU to suspend cooperation in areas such as scientific research.
READ MORE: Britain says there won't be another election in N. Ireland this year.
The best guarantor of Brexit is an economy that grows. Danker said that it's biggest risk doesn't, and that's why it's the biggest risk.
Britain's budget watchdog said last week that the country was already in recession and gave a subdued medium-term growth forecast that showed a greater reliance on immigration to boost output than predicted earlier this year.