Miliband: the nature of the EU debate suggests the UK is “not open for business”

On Monday Miliband will give a speech to the CBI explaining that if the country were to leave the EU, we would be closed “off from the rest of the world”.

Cameron has committed to an in/out referendum by 2017, if the Conservatives win a majority next May. However, Miliband has refused to do the same. Ruling out an EU referendum vote in the next Parliament – unless there’s a significant transfer of power to Brussels.

Miliband is expected to say the UK  “ever more isolated from its partners” – a trend he hopes to reverse should we win next May. He will also expected to say:

“Leaving the single market and stepping away from a trading block that strengthens Britain’s ability to work with the new economies, like Brazil, India and China, would be a disaster for our country” 

“It would risk businesses billions of pounds in lost profits. It would risk millions of jobs. It would make Britain weaker, not stronger, in the world.”

The main message of Miliband’s speech is that it is both a mistake to lobby for an EU exit or to “flirt” with the idea – all of this, he will say, suggests that “not open for business”.