Brexit: Sir James Dyson is 'enormously optimistic' about trading after EU split

Last month Dyson announced that it is massively increasing its UK workforce and opening a new site

Sir James has in the past said that Brexit would liberate the country’s economy (Bryn Colton/Getty Images)

Sir James Dyson has said that he is "enormously optimistic" about trading with the rest of the world after Brexit.

In an interview with the BBC, the billionaire businessman and a vocal supporter of Britain’s spilt from the EU, said that he thinks that it is possible for the UK to stay close to Europe after Brexit, while simultaneously forging closer ties with Commonwealth countries.

"I'm a patriot, which is why I'm rather keen on re-connecting with the Commonwealth," he told the broadcaster.

He said that in coming years, he’s particularly excited about expansion in the Far East.

"I'm enormously optimistic because looking outwards to the rest of the world is very, very important because that's the fast-growing bit," he said.

Last month Dyson, the technology company founded by Sir James which is famous for its high-end hoovers and hand-dryers, announced that it is massively increasing its UK workforce and opening a new site despite Brexit uncertainty.

The opening of the 517-acre Hullavington site, which is close to Dyson's Malmesbury headquarters, will increase the group's footprint in the UK by tenfold, the company said. A spokeswoman for Dyson said that over the longer term, the group aims to double its UK workforce.

Sir James said that the new campus represented an “investment for our future”.

“It will enable us to continue creating world class products and jobs,” he said.

In September, and also speaking to the BBC, he said that Brexit would liberate the country’s economy.

“We can make our own laws and determine our own future and determine our own trade deals with other countries throughout the world. I think it is liberation and a wonderful opportunity for all of us,” he said at the time.