A majority of the UK’s leading logistics professionals want the UK to remain in the European Union, a new snap poll reveals.
The informal poll of 110 people at a UK Warehousing Association-organised annual luncheon at the House of Lords, on 2 March, found more than 60% thought the nation’s best interests would be served by remaining part of the EU.
Peter Ward, UKWA chief executive, said the remaining 40% were split “fairly evenly” between the “outs” and the “unsures”.
“Of course the poll was by no means conducted in a scientific way, but I think it provided an interesting snapshot of the way some of the most senior people in the UK supply chain sector feel about the Brexit issue,” he said.
The former chairman of Northern Foods, Conservative peer Lord Haskins, laid out the case for the ‘in’ camp at the gathering.
His reasons included the need to be in a position to play a prominent role in future reforms of the European banking system and the importance of continuing cross-border collaboration on energy consumption and other climate change issues.
He stressed his view that much of British industry relies on migrant labour and suggested that many of the companies represented at the lunch would not enjoy their current success without the contribution made by the many foreign nationals they employed.
UKIP MEP Jill Seymour, arguing for the other side, told her audience not to be swayed by scare stories regarding likely trading difficulties should Brexit become a reality.
The EU was responsible for the higher energy costs that British businesses now faced and the logistics sector has to contend with a raft of new legislation, including the Union Customs Code, which adds a costly and unwelcome administrative burden to many supply chains, she said.
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