27 British business leaders unite to back ‘Stronger In’

The EU Referendum is now just days away.

But while Nigel Farage has resorted to racist posters, the Liberal Democrats are hitting us where it hurts: British business.

Today we release a letter signed by 27 of Britain’s leading businesspeople emphasising “the strength and stability” the EU has brought us.

Spearheaded by the Chairman of the Liberal Democrat Entrepreneurs Network, Andrew Dixon, the letter has been signed by high-profile business leaders including Ebookers.com founder Dinesh Dhamija, Demotix founder Turi Munthe, Ecotricity founder Dale Vince, and Time Out founder Tony Elliott.

It rightly points out how the fractional cost of remaining in the EU ensures fair trade and pivotally, supports our developing digital economy.

To leave “would strike a devastating blow to the future of the UK’s entrepreneurs, their businesses, and their employees,” the letter warns.

Read the full letter below…

Sir,

As entrepreneurs who have built successful UK businesses that grew substantially thanks to our access to the European single market, we feel the ‘Brexit’ debate has been overly focused on the perceived deficiencies of the EU rather than highlighting the strength and stability it has brought to the country and to British business.

The EU ensures a fair, open, and innovative market, and in supporting consumer and employee rights, it ensures universal, quality standards across all European companies. 

The European Commission safeguards British innovation and ensures a level playing field, for example through the anti-trust measures they enacted against Microsoft dating back to 1993. The EU is also driving access to the developing digital single economy and reducing tariffs on computer hardware, thereby increasing consumer access to high performance equipment.

The UK’s contribution to the EU makes up less than 1% of our GDP expenditure, and in return our businesses can access a market of over 500 million consumers. However, the ‘free trade area’ proposed by some Brexiteers would not necessarily cover services, capital or labour.

Only by remaining in the European Union can Britain promote reform within the EU and ensure the world’s largest marketplace remains competitive, open and supportive to entrepreneurs.  The alternative – remaining on the sidelines without a voice, and restricting our access to the talent, capital and new customers the EU has consistently delivered for British enterprise – would strike a devastating blow to the future of the UK’s entrepreneurs, their businesses, and their employees.

Sincerely Yours,

Andrew Dixon, Chairman, Liberal Democrat Entrepreneurs Network
Dinesh Dhamija, Founder, Ebookers.com
Tony Elliott, Founder & Director, Time Out Group PLC
Laura Tenison MBE, Founder & Managing Director, JoJo Maman Bebe
Susan Tobbell, Co-Founder, MRH GB Limited
Lord Verjee CBE, Chairman, Thomas Goode & Co
Dale Vince OBE, Founder, Ecotricity

Other Signatories

Jack Barmby, Founder & CEO, Gnatta
Marc Bradshaw, Founder, BEA Solutions
Martin Brown, General Manager, FM Outsource
James Cameron, Green Business Leader of the Year 2013
Craig Fletcher, Founder & CEO, Multiplay
Ben Gateley, Co-Founder, The Eleven
Kevin Gibson, CEO, Hanzo Archives Limited
Anthony Harris, Mentor & Team Coach, Accelerate Cambridge
Chris Henry, Founder, Liaison Print Management
Nick Jordan, CEO, Trade Horizons
Liz Leffman, Director, Clothesource Limited
Tilly McAuliffe, Founder, Think Publishing
Turi Munthe, Founder, Demotix
Raj Ramanandi, Entrepreneur in Residence, Rainmaking Innovation
Benjamin Sims, Founder, Tech City Labs
Dan Steel, Chairman, Esdevium Games Limited
Martin Stevens, CEO, It Is 3D Limited
Madeleine Weightman, Business Owner
Alex Wood, Founder & Editor In Chief, The Memo
Dr Joseph Zammit-Lucia, Entrepreneur & Investor