Being a member of the European Union helps keep Britain strong, safe and secure, says Business for New Europe. The pro-European campaign group was responding to the latest part of a report by Business for Britain, which claims that Britain would have more influence on the world stage outside the EU.

Lucy Thomas, Campaign Director of Business for New Europe, said:

"Four days into the serialisation of their Change or Go report, we get to Business for Britain's view of our place in the world. It is hard to see how Britain would actually enjoy greater influence with just 65 million people, compared to the world's largest market with half a billion. Not only in trade terms but by standing up to common threats.

 

"As 27 business leaders from Virgin's Richard Branson to BT's Mike Rake make clear today in The Times, Britain is strongest with 27 other countries against common problems.

 

"There is near-unanimity amongst those at the sharp end of British foreign policy that the EU advances Britain’s interests – and the same is true of close allies like the United States.

 

"Take General Sir Peter Wall, until recently the head of the British Army. He said recently: “Common threats need common solutions, so we are better protected inside the EU. Agreeing sanctions against Russia would have been far harder if we were outside.” From the Russia crisis to climate change, and from piracy to cross-border crime, being in the EU magnifies our ability to deal with problems that affect all European countries.

 

"Business for Britain say that European External Action Service diplomats “support EU policies rather than specific UK interests.” This totally ignores the fact that, in the vast majority of cases, British foreign policy and EU foreign policy are aligned. The recent ECFR scorecard found Britain exerted more power in European foreign policy than any other country bar Germany. The report concluded: “The UK has far more clout as part of the EU collective than it does alone.”

 

"The report alleges that EU foreign policy integration represents a “long-term threat” to Britain’s control of its foreign policy. This is totally over-blown. For a start, the EU is a foreign policy minnow. As the report helpfully points out, the External Action Service has 140 delegations, around 7,000 staff and an annual budget of £362m. By contrast, the UK Foreign Office has 270 offices, 14,000 staff and a budget of £1.6bn. The EU completely lacks the budget to rival its larger member states – and EU finances, of course, are controlled by member states.

 

"The EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy is run purely on the basis of unanimity. Each member state, including Britain, has a veto. Changing this state of affairs would require alterations to the treaties, a process over which each member state also has a veto. The EU cannot harmonise foreign policy without the explicit consent of every single country in the European Union. That is to say, the British government and the British parliament would have to assent to it. There exist true democratic safeguards protecting British foreign policy from undue EU expansion.

 

"The report concludes by saying that Britain would enjoy closer ties with “Anglo-Saxon states”, which “remain closer to each other than to many EU states.” The problem is that these same Anglo-Saxon countries are very clear that Britain needs to stay in. In 2013, Barack Obama said: “we want to see a strong British voice in that European Union. That is in the American interest.” Every US President since Kennedy has had this same position. In the same year, the Australian Foreign Minister said: “I encourage the UK to maintain its influence by remaining an engaged participant in all aspects of the EU internal market.” Our traditional friends in the Anglosphere and the Commonwealth want us to stay in so as to preserve our position on the world stage.

 

"Business for Britain’s public position has always been that they would recommend staying in the EU, though only if David Cameron achieved some impossible changes, such as effectively abolishing the free movement of people. So it is fascinating that today’s section of the report is titled “The EU is stealing Britain's diplomatic influence - and so we must leave”, and the body of the text does not include the words “reform” or “renegotiation” once. We are pleased that BfB are finally being honest that their intention is to pull Britain out of the EU at any cost, not just change the basis of our membership."

Notes to editors
See the latest part of Business for Britain's report here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/eureferendum/11697331/The-EU-is-stealing-Britains-diplomatic-influence-and-so-we-must-leave.html 


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