Lush brings in immigration expert to advise concerned staff on Brexit

Lush, an outspoken brand when it comes to the UK’s decision to withdraw from the EU, has announced it will be offering immigration expert advice to support any of its staff concerned about the impact of Brexit.

The brand has brought in a specialist in immigration law to advise its UK workforce of around 1000 employees at its facility in Poole.

It is the latest move the global beauty player, which was founded in the UK, has made that indicates its dissatisfaction with the Brexit decision and the implications for its staff.

In the immediate aftermath, Lush announced it will be moving its European staff from Britain to Germany.

Sessions to support

In a report in the Bournemouth Echo, the plans are outlined as including ‘dozens of sessions’ where a director with GBS UK Immigration’s south coast office, Victoria Grisa, will be on hand to offer legal advice on immigration statuses of employees.

Lush said in a statement: “Freedom of movement is integral to Lush as a business, allowing us to put the right people in the right positions regardless of nationality and forge equal relationships with suppliers in remote areas of the world.

With the help of Victoria and her colleagues at GBS UK Immigration, we are taking steps to support staff members affected by the UK’s withdrawal from the EU as we navigate this complex political situation together.”

Critical of Brexit

Lush’s chief executive Mark Constantine has been vocally critical of the Brexit decision.

‘Now all those people have been told they’re not welcome and not wanted by people in Poole, because Poole voted against it,’ Constantine said soon after the decision, suggesting that it sent a clear message that a business like Lush is not welcome in the UK.

Poole is where the brand was founded, and 58% of the town’s electorate voted in favour of Brexit, putting the wheels in motion for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union in the coming years.