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The strapline is that the White Paper " failed to clarify ambiguity around the status of professionals". It goes on to state that difficulties may arise over (for example) "permitting joint practice between UK and EU lawyers, and continued joint UK-EU ownership of accounting firms."

These appear to be coded references to the likely fact that post-Brexit UK professional services firms will find it more difficult to operate in Europe, simply because (a) they will not be 'authorised auditors' (or whatever term is appropriate) in the EU (despite being in several different cross border entities); and (b) if not EU based will lack the required regulatory status to carry out EU compliant audits (etc).

I'm far from being an expert in these areas, and I may have read the runes wrongly, but aren't these points irrelevant? First, for tax and other reasons many (most?) professional services firms have EU subsidiaries or associates, so Brexit should make no difference; secondly, why should EU firms have the right to provide professional services in the UK (absent the single market) or indeed UK firms provide professional services in the EU?