Business leaders want more British muscle in EU

Hundreds of British business leaders have called on Westminster to negotiate a better deal for the UK with Brussels.

David Cameron has pledged to claw back powers and then offer voters a choice of staying in the European Union in a referendum by the end of 2017, if the Conservative party is returned to power at the next general election.

The new Business for Britain campaign backed the Prime Minister’s approach to renegotiation and called for a cross-party “national drive to renegotiate the terms of Britain’s membership of the EU”.

Ocado chairman Sir Stuart Rose and Next chief Lord Wolfson are among the 500 people associated with businesses from blue-chip firms to small companies who have signed up to the campaign.

They said: “Far from being a threat to our economic interests, a flexible, competitive Europe – with more powers devolved from Brussels – is essential for growth, jobs and access to markets.”