Business vote tightens as referendum campaign heads to the finish line
WITH less than 50 days to go, a majority of businesspeople surveyed say they will vote for the UK to remain in the European Union according to a pre-referendum survey by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC).
Voting intentions have tightened amongst the businesspeople surveyed – with Leave now polling seven points higher (37%) than in the BCC’s February survey.
Nearly 90% of the senior businesspeople polled in this politically neutral survey say they are unlikely to change how they will vote before the June 23rd referendum.
The BCC’s detailed findings indicate that 54.1% of businesspeople polled will vote to Remain, down from 60% in February 2016, and 37% would vote to Leave – up from 30% on the BCC’s previous survey.
The data on voting intentions also shows some divisions based on size and export interests. Those trading with other EU markets express the strongest support for ‘Remain’, with the strongest levels of support for ‘Leave’ among those that do not. Businesspeople representing large firms are significantly more likely to vote ‘Remain’ than those in micro businesses.
The national statistics are in line with a poll of Sheffield City Region businesspeople in this year’s first Quarterly Economic Surveys conducted by the region’s Chambers of Commerce and Sheffield University Management School, sponsored by the Royal Bank of Scotland South Yorkshire & North Derbyshire.
The majority of businesses believed that staying in the EU would have a positive impact but with specific powers transferred from Brussels to Westminster; however, this far was far from universal with some businesses favouring withdrawal.
Dan Fell, CEO Doncaster Chamber said: “Although a clear majority of the businesspeople the pre-referendum survey polled continue to express a preference to remain in the European Union, the gap between Remain and Leave has clearly narrowed in recent weeks.
“While only a minority of businesspeople report that the referendum campaign has had a material impact on their firms to date, much larger numbers say they expect significant impacts in the aftermath of the vote.
“The question I ask is whether the economic regeneration funding for Doncaster would continue as has been experienced in recent years.
“Whatever the outcome, it is important that Westminster stays focused on the economy as well as the Northern Powerhouse in terms of connectivity, logistics and technology, to support regional business.”
