‘Question Time’ for bosses deciding how to vote on EU
TOMORROW Small Business Minister Anna Soubry, Vote Leave’s John Mills and groups including the Federation of Small Businesses and Enterprise Nation will face questions about the EU referendum from undecided small business voters in a live Question-Time-style event at The Shard.
It comes as bosses of more than 200 small businesses have called for Britain to leave the EU in an open letter organised by the Leave.EU campaign, which is backed by Nigel Farage, and the director-general of the British Chambers of Commerce has been suspended after saying he wants to leave the EU despite the organisation being neutral.
Signatories to the Leave.EU letter urged voters not to listen to ‘a minority of managers’ and said Brexit would give them ‘flexibility and adaptability’. The debate tomorrow has been organised by software provider Sage, and its chief executive Brendan Flattery has said he wants small businesses to have their say.
According to research by the FSB last month, 42 per cent of small businesses have not decided how they will vote on June 23. Last week Small Business reported a poll by Enterprise Nation found more than 60 per cent wanting to remain. The group, set up by Emma Jones, is now conducting further research.
William Chase, founder of Chase Distillery and Tyrells Crisps, said ‘for our exports it would be lovely to be out’ of the EU and ‘remove some of the shackles. Some countries like India make it almost impossible to get in and we could be like that, we could look after our exports a lot more.’
But he added: ‘But if I had to go with one side it would have to be to stay in because it’s steady for the moment and it works.’
BCC’s director of policy and external affairs Adam Marshall, who chaired the panels at the organisation’s conference on Thursday, asked Jon Moynihan of the Vote Leave campaign if he was selling the British public ‘the equivalent of a unicorn – something they want but can’t have.’
Moynihan replied: ‘The EU has free trade agreements with countries that have $7trillion worth of GDP (£4.9trillion). Chile has free trade agreements with countries that have $58trillion of GDP, Korea – $41 trillion, Switzerland – $40trillion, Singapore - $39 trillion. The EU is unable to make deals with the large countries, whereas these smaller countries have been able to.
‘Do you think we’re not going to be able to do what Switzerland, Korea, Chile or Singapore does?’
Lord Rose, head of the campaign to keep Britain in the EU, Britain Stronger in Europe, and former executive chairman of M&S, said when asked if he was operating Project Fear: ‘We need to get out into the ether “Project Reality”,’ but he admitted: ‘It’s very difficult to get clear numbers.’