IT is undoubtedly disappointing the Scottish economy went into reverse last month, amid the developing Brexit fiasco.

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For parts of last year, Scotland recorded what must be regarded as impressive growth as the overall economy received a boost from a recovering North Sea sector. The growth was particularly encouraging, given the dismal UK economic backdrop that has prevailed for many years as growth has been choked by austerity and more recently also Brexit uncertainty.

Read More: Brexit debacle pushes Scottish economy into reverse

With the Brexit shambles intensifying rather than dissipating, it was probably always inevitable that the Scottish economy would cool. A recent fall in oil prices, following a sharp recovery, will probably not have helped, but Brexit is the dominant factor.

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Sebastian Burnside, chief economist at Royal Bank, was encouraged by signs of resilience from Scottish businesses, noting they had avoided a “knee-jerk” reaction to the developing backdrop by continuing to increase employment. But he warned that businesses should not expect Brexit uncertainty to go away any time soon.

Scottish businesses have had to dig deep into their resilience reserves in recent years. And, in spite of the UK Government’s Brexit performance, Scottish businesses remain surprisingly upbeat in terms of expectations they can achieve growth over the next year.

However, the major problem, and frustration, for these companies remains that the big Brexit issue is outwith their control.