Ford’s European chief Jim Farley says UK is better off without a Brexit March 4, 2015 Car manufacturing behemoth Ford has thrown its weight behind the campaign to keep the UK in the European Union. Jim Farley, the president of Ford’s European operation, said the company “really hopes” the UK remains part of the EU. He called the UK’s continued membership “critical”. During his slot on Radio 4's Today programme, Farley underlined [...]
Denis MacShane in comeback bid as author of Brexit book March 2, 2015 What might we see if Britain left the EU? Planes falling out of the sky? Excessively bendy bananas? Global economic carnage? Maybe not. Yet the prospect has been sufficient to prompt warnings from financial giants HSBC and Goldman Sachs already this year. “Having the UK be part of Europe is the best thing for all of [...]
What’s in store for London’s financial services sector? March 2, 2015 Going into this year, a general election in May, as well as the possibility of a "Brexit" all loom over the City's future. So what are some of the biggest risks facing London's financial services industry? It's an important question. Financial and related professional services contributed £174bn to the UK economy in 2012, or 12.6% of the total. [...]
Two cheers for Jean-Claude Juncker: The process of EU reform is already underway March 1, 2015 The business view of Britain’s membership of the European Union is clear: the UK needs to be in the EU and to be fully engaged. While this view is not unanimous – there are those businesses that legitimately have a different perspective, either because of the nature of the business or the priorities of the [...]
What is the likelihood of Brexit? 17 per cent according to top think tank February 27, 2015 One of Britain's leading think tanks has revealed its preidction of the likelihood a British exit from the EU. Open Europe, which launched its "Brexit barometer" last night, estimated Britain had a 17 per cent chance of leaving the EU. The estimate will dash the hopes of Eurosceptics who are banking on public dissatisfaction with [...]
Celebrity historians launch campaign for EU referendum and claim there is no “European Demos” February 26, 2015 Some of Britain's leading historians have pledged their support for a new campaign to fight for a referendum on Britain's EU membership. Historians for Britain (HfB) is the sister organisation of Business for Britain (BfB), led by the distinguished campaigner Matthew Elliot. While BfB has sought to make the case for a different relationship with [...]
British support for EU membership surges to all-time high February 25, 2015 A record number of Brits want the UK remain in the EU, according to a new YouGov poll. Some 45 per cent of voters said they don't want a "Brexit", compared with 35 per cent who would choose to leave. The numbers represent the largest lead for the pro-EU camp since YouGov's records began. Support [...]
HSBC: UK should not quit EU just as services reforms are coming February 23, 2015 Britain is threatening to leave the EU at the worst possible moment, HSBC analysts said yesterday, as key changes are on the way which will benefit the UK. Big businesses were reluctant to give their views on the Scottish referendum until the polls tightened at the last minute – and the comments sparked a backlash. But [...]
Britain would lose economic influence if it left the EU, says Norwegian minister February 22, 2015 The UK faces a struggle to impose its economic will if it leaves the EU, according to Norway’s minister for Europe, Vidar Helgesen. Norway is often held up as a shining example of how a country can thrive outside of the European Union, but life beyond the bloc is not plain sailing. Talking to the [...]
Businesses want to know that the UK has safeguards against the Eurozone, says head of BCC February 10, 2015 The head of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has said he would like Britain to be protected against getting closer to the Eurozone At the annual BCC conference today, John Longworth said the next government “must set out what it will do to protect the United Kingdom against the prospect of being [...]