Dutch government makes blue furry monster its new Brexit mascot

'This is all to raise awareness. We have said this a lot in debates and now we are saying it with humour,' foreign ministry says

Dutch foreign minister Stef Blok tweeted this image of a hairy blue Brexit monster on his desk in The Hague on Thursday (AP)

While Theresa May continues to battle through the Commons in an attempt to form a consensus on Brexit the Dutch government has enlisted a new ally in its campaign to prepare businesses for Britain’s departure from the European Union.

A tweet posted on foreign minister Stef Blok's Twitter feed showed an enormous blue furry Muppet-like monster, wearing a white T-shirt emblazoned with the word Brexit in red capital letters, lying across a desk.

The tweet has links to the government's online Brexit portal and a Brexit Impact Scan that helps inform businesses about the possible consequences when Britain leaves the EU on 29 March.

"This is all to raise awareness," said foreign ministry spokesman Dirk-Jan Vermeij. "We have said this a lot in debates and now we are saying it with humour."

The monster quickly scared up plenty of action. Mr Vermeij said that by mid-afternoon on 14 February 4,000 businesses had done the impact scan.

The online scan takes business owners through the range of possible changes they will have to master depending on the terms under which Britain leaves the EU.

It provides advice about new procedures that might come into play for importers and exporters such as customs procedures, possible new tariffs and taxes and other issues.

Prior to the monster's intervention, the scan had attracted about 63,000 businesses in one year.

Additional reporting by agencies