CBI denies accusations of pro-European bias

The Vote Leave campaign has accused the CBI of conducting a “skewed” poll of its members (AFP)

The CBI yesterday hit back against claims the corporate lobby group has misrepresented the level of support in the business community for Britain’s membership of the European Union

The Vote Leave campaign has accused the CBI of conducting a “skewed” poll of its members on the subject in 2013, which it says over-represented the views of pro-European large firms.

It has also reported the CBI and YouGov, which conducted the poll, to the British polling council for failing to disclose information about the poll on their websites, claiming that this represents a breach of best practice. “If people don’t like the result they blame the process,” the CBI’s director general John Cridland said. “Is it that they haven’t anything to say about our views? The CBI takes these attacks as a badge of honour. It’s a sign we’re saying something useful.”

Mr Cridland insisted he had a “very strong mandate” from the CBI’s membership for the broadly pro-EU stance the organisaion is taking. “It’s not a consensus – I never claimed it’s a consensus – but I do have an overwhelming majority of businesses that want to be in a reformed EU.”

On the subject of the EU reforms that David Cameron is hoping to secure, Mr Cridland said he will consult CBI members to get their view ahead of the vote. “We will ask our members how well that reform agenda has been delivered,” he said. “We will seek a mandate when we know the reforms”.

On the 2013 poll, which suggested eight out of 10 businesses supported staying in the EU, Mr Cridland denied that it had determined the CBI leadership’s stance, saying the survey was a “very small part” of a much bigger consultation exercise. “We had conversations with hundreds of companies over 10 months and covered a whole range of issues. We formulated our view by debate,” he said.

Vote Leave says the CBI had been compromised by receiving almost £1m in funding from the European Commission. Mr Cridland said the sum represents just 0.6 per cent of its annual income and this was part of a project to improve European statistics.