CBI president in pro-Europe plea

CBI president Sir Mike Rake will ramp up the European Union debate tonight when he calls on businesses to speak out in favour of remaining within a reformed EU.

He will use the CBI’s  flagship annual dinner on its 50th anniversary to make the case for Britain remaining at the heart of the EU.

The forthcoming referendum which Prime Minister David Cameron has scheduled before the end of 2017, is “a choice between openness and isolation,” he will say – “between shaping the future or retreating into the past”.

Rake will also issue a call to arms to the Government and business to tackle longer-term issues facing the country, from airport capacity to ensuring growth works for everyone.

The annual dinner, which will be attended by a 1,000-strong audience of senior business leaders and politicians, will be held at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel.

He will say: “Business welcomes the fact that several weeks of negotiations to form a new government were avoided. And business will very much welcome the continuity the Prime Minister has shown in his choice of ministerial appointments.

“Today, we are at a critical moment for growth. The election may be over, but risks remain – at home and abroad. Our fiscal deficit is still the highest of any major EU country.

“And on the global stage, headwinds persist. From structural challenges in the Eurozone, to Greece’s on-going debt issues and conflict in the Ukraine.”

He will will urge business leaders to speak out in favour of the benefits of EU membership, arguing the time is ripe for reform.

“Business has increasingly spoken out on this crucial issue and the time has come to turn up the volume, speaking out clearly and in a language which people can understand,” he will say.

“In the months to come, our country will have to make its own choice. A choice between openness and isolation. Between shaping the future or retreating into the past.

“The question is not whether the UK would survive outside the EU, but whether it would thrive.

“No-one has yet set out a credible alternative future to EU membership. The current alternatives are not realistic options – little or no influence and the obligation to comply with EU principles whilst still paying most of the costs.”

“Norway is the tenth highest contributor to the EU budget – despite not being a member – and it took Switzerland nine years to negotiate and implement partial access to the Single Market.”