Alexander urges business leaders to speak out over the EU – before it’s “too late”

Douglas Alexander, shadow Foreign Secretary, is today set to ask business leaders to join in on the debate over the EU.

Alexander will give a speech to European diplomats in which he will outline the importance of business leaders being part of a positive campaign over Britain’s EU membership – but one that also advocates for reform. He will tell those present  “your voice must be heard because if you wait, it could be too late. That risk is real.”

He will go on to state the urgency of the situation, explaining: “The starting gun on the campaign to keep Britain in Europe has been fired. And Britain needs you to join in the race. The work begins now. Now is the time to speak out. Now is the time to speak up”.

Alexander’s speech comes after YouGov polling showed that 80% of business leaders thought that the likelihood that Britain would leave the EU was rising. Alexander will say “these figures show the mounting concern within the business community. But mounting concern has not yet been matched by increased engagement through the public debate”.

To encourage business leaders to take more of an active role in the debate over Europe, Alexander will draw on the experiences of the Scottish referendum:

“I know, from private and public discussions, that many businesses in Scotland had been aware of the risks of separation for a long time. And I do understand why they were reluctant to speak out. They didn’t want to become political targets. But today I want to make the case that we should learn from our experience of that referendum in Scotland.

“Once again business faces the dilemma of how to face down a populist leader mobilising and an increasingly angry public campaign. Last summer it was about Scotland leaving the UK. Next summer it could be about the UK leaving Europe.

“I know that some companies may feel that now is not the time to speak up on our membership of the EU. Perhaps they think that this is something that can and should wait until the moment of decision. That was the revealed preference of some businesses in Scotland over the summer. For business to speak up for Britain’s place in Europe is not about party political advantage, it is about recognising where our country’s national interest and your business interests lies. It is about patriotic duty and good business sense.”

“Leaving the EU means permanently ending one of our nation’s long-running economic successes. It means actively choosing an economy with weaker investment, less trade with the rest of the world, poorer productivity and worse living standards.”

Alongside giving this speech, Alexander will meet with senior business executives executives as part of a Labour business summit. It’s also rumoured that he and Ed Miliband held talks last week with 10 senior company chief executives to discuss the subject of Europe.