UNITED KINGDOM DIVIDED

Politicians make their final pitch to a bitterly divided electorate on the eve of EU referendum Top businessmen say Brexit would mean economic uncertainty and putting jobs at risk

London, June 22: British politicians on Wednesday made their final pitch to a bitterly divided electorate on the eve a crucial referendum to persuade undecided voters of the merits of remaining in or leaving the 28-member EU with polls showing a razortight race whose outcome could shape Europe's future.

In the biggest backing yet for the “Remain” camp, 1,280 business leaders, which included representatives of 51 FTSE 100 companies, signed a letter warning that Brexit — or Britain's exit from the EU — would mean “economic uncertainty and put jobs at risk”.

Their warning came on the last day of the fourmonth-long campaigning before polling booths open at 7 am local time on Thursday with the final result expected early on Friday.

Opinion polls have suggested that while big business is broadly in favour of staying in the EU, small firms have been evenly split in what looks like a photo-finish with one poll showing “Remain” at 45 per cent and “Leave” 44 per cent, with 11 per cent undecided.

Prime Minister David Cameron welcomed the support from top businesses as he kicked off the final hours of his campaigning, stressing that the UK enjoyed a “special status” within the EU and the “best of both worlds”.

Cameron, who appeared alongside former PM John Major and former Labour leader Harriet Harman in Bristol, said that the decision will be irreversible and there will no coming back if the UK votes to leave. But Boris Johnson and other Leave campaigners said only a vote to leave the EU could give the UK the freedom it needs to set its own course, rejecting the economic forecasts suggesting the country would face a downturn following Brexit.