Stuart Rose, the former executive chairman of Marks & Spencer and a Conservative peer, is to chair the campaign for Britain to stay inside the EU in a sign that senior Conservatives plan to resist the euro-sceptic tide on the right.



Lord Rose, now chairman of Ocado, the online grocer that delivers goods for Waitrose and Morrisons, is one of Britain’s most famous businessmen and will attend the launch of the in campaign on Monday at which a mix of politicians, cultural figures and businessmen will set out the case for Britain to stay in Europe, ahead of the referendum that must be held before 2017.

There had been fears that the pro-Europe campaign would have a left of centre gloss, but Rose’s appointment suggests it will have a genuine cross-party tenor with which David Cameron could readily associate if he decides to recommend Britain remain inside the EU.

The announcement came as Cameron met the German chancellor Angela Merkel at the prime minister’s country residence, Chequers, to discuss the UK’s demands to have a looser relationship with the EU. Both Germany and France have been frustrated at the lack of specific proposals from the British, and plans for an update on the UK renegotiation at a European council heads of government meeting next week appear to have been shelved, or reduced.

The slow progress leaves the out and in campaigns facing the prospect of sustaining operations possibly lasting more than 18 months.

Rose, speaking ahead of the in campaign launch on Monday, said: “Most people, myself included, will make a hard-headed, practical calculation in the coming referendum on what is best for the British people. I believe that Britain is stronger in Europe. The choice in the coming referendum is between remaining stronger, safer and better off inside Europe, or taking a leap into the unknown, risking our prosperity, threatening our safety, and diminishing our influence in the world.

“I believe the case for Britain to remain in the EU is clear. So I’m delighted to join the in campaign’s board as chair, and I look forward to introducing the rest of the board at our campaign event on Monday.”

Previewing some of the key themes of the pro-EU campaign, including the way in which EU membership provides greater security, Will Straw, the executive director of the campaign, said: “We are stronger, safer, and better off in Europe than we would be out on our own. Leaving Europe would risk our prosperity, threaten our safety and diminish our influence in the world. During this referendum we will make the case that staying in Europe makes us stronger, while leaving is a risk we simply can’t afford to take.”

The in campaign is bound to heavily rely on the risk of quitting the EU, just as the Better Together campaign in Scotland focused on the risk of Scottish economic independence.



Rose’s unveiling came as the Vote Leave campaign made its first pitch for votes on the left by arguing that Jeremy Corbyn would be unable to implement many of his policies – such as rail nationalisation – if Britain remained within the EU.

Vote Leave has decided not to focus on issues such as immigration, instead arguing that British exit from the EU would be a means of taking control, improving public services and achieving change. It claims this represents the safer choice – a direct response to the warnings that exit from the EU represents a risk.

Polling released by Ipsos Mori shows the extent to which immigration is driving much Euro-scepticism. Almost six in 10 respondents (58%) believed there should be greater restrictions on free movement of EU citizens. Fourteen per cent believed there should be no right to free movement between EU countries at all, 11% sa id free movement of EU citizens should be kept in its current form, and 5% said there should be no restrictions at all.

Of those who wanted more restrictions on free movement of EU citizens, 72% mentioned pressure on public services as their reason, and 59% cited people coming to claim benefits. Pressure on housing and overcrowding were also key concerns (55% and 54% respectively). A few mentioned cultural reasons for restricting free movement, including 21% who said EU migrants do not integrate into British society, 20% who believed EU immigration raises crime rates, and 14% who thought EU immigration dilutes British culture.

Cameron’s plan to negotiate restrictions on benefits for EU migrants was the most popular of his potential policies, with 62% of the public saying this was important. Cameron’s aims outside of immigration were seen to be of less significance, with 38% supporting greater powers for national parliaments to block EU legislation, 32% seeing protecting UK financial markets from EU legislation as important, and 25% who said allowing Britain to opt-out from forging an ever closer union with Europe was an important aim.

The Vote Leave group, in a briefing supported by Kelvin Hopkins, one of the first MPs to back Jeremy Corbyn, claimed as many as five of Corbyn’s key pledges could not be implemented under EU law. It suggests it is likely an integrated publicly owned railway run by the people – Corbyn’s stated policy – will be entirely illegal under EU law. The briefing suggests similar blocks would be placed on his efforts to reduce the role of the private sector in the NHS, and defend the right to strike.

Hopkins said: “Thatcher, Blair and Cameron have given away so much control to the free market EU that achieving progressive reform in the UK will be impossible unless we vote to leave.”