PM hires pro-EU business chiefs for referendum battle
BUSINESS heavyweights including the bosses of BP, Asda and easyJet have been drafted in to advise David Cameron on EU reform, it was revealed last night.
Industry leaders including Bob Dudley, chief executive of BP, easyJet boss Carolyn McCall and Asda CEO Andy Clarke will sit on the Business Advisory Group.
It will be a ‘ sounding board’ on issues facing industry, including renegotiation of Britain’s membership of the European Union.
But it will add to concerns among eurosceptics that the Prime Minister is determined to get a Yes vote in the in/out referendum and has lined up big business chiefs to argue in f avour of keeping ties with Brussels.
The Confederation of British Industry has been a longstanding cheerleader for Britain’s continued membership of the EU.
Miss McCall, a former chief executive of the Guardian Media Group, is on record as saying that without the EU, easyJet would not exist.
She said: ‘EasyJet is a product of t he EU’s deregulation of Europe’s aviation market. Without deregulation we would not exist. EU l egislation ensures that passengers have a consistent set of consumer ri ghts and i ncreasingly a common set of safety rules.’
The business leaders, who also include the chief executives of Rolls-Royce and Virgin Money, will give advice to the Prime Minister ahead of the vote and will discuss economic and business policies with ministers.
Downing Street said that the group will ‘ act as a sounding board through which ministers can listen to and debate concerns and priorities facing industry and can discuss the Government’s economic and business policies around key areas such as productivity, European reform and housing’.
The Prime Minister has already promised to hold a referendum before the end of 2017.
Chancellor George Osborne is today due to meet French finance minister Michel Sapin, f oreign minister Laurent
‘Will discuss key areas’
Fabius and the economy minister Emmanuel Macron. He will use his visit to tell the French that they cannot stand in the way of EU reforms after the Conservatives won a clear mandate this May.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister yesterday set off on a trip to South East Asia to boost trade.
It has emerged that he has ordered plans be drawn up on how Britain could tackle jihadists in Libya, four years after the military action that led to the overthrow of Colonel Gaddafi.
The Prime Minister said action must be taken at home and abroad to defeat Islamic State. Mr Cameron’s four-day trip to the Far East is predominantly to drum up trade for Britain but he will also urge closer co-operation on counter-terrorism.
He will arrive this morning in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta at the start of his tour, before heading to Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam.
At a meeting with Indonesian President Joko Widodo today, he will offer to send British expertise to help disrupt terrorist plots and improve airline security.
He will also make a similar proposal to Prime Minister Najib Razak of Malaysia later this week.