The U.K. has more than doubled its diplomatic staff in Switzerland in the last year, finews.com has learned. Britain’s imminent exit from the European Union is behind the move.

Britain has massively ramped up diplomats in Switzerland ahead of a planned exit from the European Union in March, several sources familiar with the matter told finews.com.

Just over one year ago, the British embassy in Bern maintained a skeleton staff of one ambassador and two diplomats. This spring, that number is set to rise to seven staff including ambassador Jane Owen, one of the people said.

A 2016 popular vote to leave the European Union highlighted that Switzerland and Britain are soon to have much in common, as non-block countries which still do most of their trading with the EU.

Copying Swiss Playbook

An embassy spokesman said that the number of British diplomatic staff in Bern has more than doubled in size in the last year, without elaborating on specific numbers. «We’re now resourced to address the needs of the bilateral relationship,» he said.

The substantial recruiting drive under Owen reverses an austerity-era push under one of Britain's previous ambassadors to Switzerland, Sarah Gillett, who had pared British staff on Bern's embassy row to just three.

British diplomats in Switzerland have scrambled to copy Switzerland’s approach to EU relations: clinch treaties over everything from trade to electricity in lieu of formally joining.

Fraught Finance Sector

The two countries share a fraught relationship with Europe over the future of their financial services industry: the City of London has been hugely influential in shaping EU financial regulation, but fears missing out when Britain leaves.

By contrast, Bern’s efforts to clinch a broad financial market framework deal have been on ice since Britain negotiations began. Swiss banks have expressed hopes for an alliance of finance hubs outside of the EU including London, Switzerland, Singapore and Hong Kong.

The U.K. and Switzerland have already reached several agreements, dubbed «mind the gap», to kick in as soon as Britain has left the bloc. On Friday, the two signed agreements governing insurance as well as one for rail and road traffic.