That was the message from former secretary of state for Business, Innovation and Skills, Sir Vince Cable speaking at the Aito Overseas Conference in Jordan.

The former Liberal Democrat MP said that friends and former colleagues working in Westminster had told him they had seen a lack of movement by politicians to secure post-Brexit arrangements for the UK.

"Friends in Whitehall tell me that the government is nowhere near figuring out what deals it wants and of course we don’t know how other European countries will react to our demands," Cable told delegates.

"The big story is uncertainty," he added.

Cable said the outlook for the British economy since the country’s vote in favour of Brexit in June would herald "a few years of great uncertainty and slower growth".

He also warned that it was not clear what impact Brexit negotiations would have on issues affecting the travel industry including open skies aviation agreements, traveller financial protection and currency fluctuations.

Although he added that the devaluation of the sterling had meant that tourism to the UK was "much more attractive and profitable".

He told delegates that he foresaw the UK creating a "transitional agreement" with the EU which would focus on core issues such as trade but meant that details involving further regulations and laws could take much longer to iron out.

"I think what will happen in two or three years is there will be a transitional agreement and Britain will secure its trading agreements’" he said. "The more detailed stuff such as the Package Travel Directive could then take 8 to 10 years to sort out."