EU Worth £450 To Every Briton, Says 'In' Team

Former M&S boss Lord Rose claims Britain's membership of the EU is worth £450 year to every person in the country as he launches the "In" campaign.

The chairman of the Britain Stronger In Europe campaign attacked those who want to leave as "quitters" who are "running away" from attempts to reform the EU.

Lord Rose said that while he has been highly critical of the EU in the past, he wants change and not to quit, adding: "Wanting reform, however, is not the same as wanting to leave."

He said the EU was not perfect but that membership "benefits clearly outweigh the costs" and said that his campaign would reach out to every corner of the UK to make the case for staying in.

He said it was for the future opportunities of young people that we should stay in".

Speaking at an event in central London, Lord Rose said: "To claim that the patriotic course for Britain is to retreat, withdraw and become inward looking is to misunderstand who we are as a nation."

Among those individuals recruited to the cause are Sir Peter Wall , the former chief of the general staff, TV presenter June Sarpong and businesswoman Baroness Brady.

It (Other OTC: ITGL - news) also has the support of all three living former Prime Ministers: Sir John Major, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.

The "Out" side continues to be hamstrung by division and rivalries, with two groupings, "Vote Leave" and "Leave.EU", competing for precedence.

Speaking on Sky (LSE: BSY.L - news) 's Murnaghan programme on Sunday, UKIP leader Nigel Farage suggested Boris Johnson could be persuaded to lead the campaign for Britain to leave the EU.

When asked by Dermot Murnaghan whether Mr Johnson might be a "feather" in the "Out" campaign cap, he replied: "We might just get him."

Mr Farage said that both Mr Johnson, who is in the running for the leadership for 2020, and Home Secretary Theresa May had made calls on immigration that were incompatible with EU membership.

And he claimed that around half of Conservative members were in favour of leaving.

Poll results have varied widely and the indications are public opinion even at this early stage is extremely volatile.

Yougov (LSE: YOU.L - news) has a small lead for "Brexit" (40% leave, 38% remain), ICM shows a small lead for staying in (39% leave, 44% remain) and ComRes shows a big lead for the In campaign (36% leave, 55% remain).

A good deal continues to hang on the result of the Prime Minister's attempt to renegotiate the UK's place within the EU.

Discussions on a range of issues continue to preoccupy David Cameron, and he hosted German Chancellor Angela Merkel at Chequers on Friday, whose voice will no doubt be decisive.

However, Downing Street has warned that the fruits of the renegotiation are unlikely to be revealed until after a full meeting of EU leaders scheduled for December.

While the relevant campaign teams will continue to jockey for position in the meantime, only once the renegotiation process is concluded will the referendum campaign proper truly begin.