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Ex-Army Chief Wall To Join Anti-Brexit Board

A former head of the British Army will be named on Monday to the board of the group which hopes to run the official campaign to keep the UK in the European Union.

Sky News understands that General Sir Peter Wall, who retired as chief of the general staff last year, will be a director of the In campaign being chaired by Lord Rose, the ex-Marks & Spencer (Other OTC: MAKSF - news) boss.

The appointment of General Sir Peter comes several months after he warned that finding common ground on defence policy with European allies would be "more difficult still were we outside the EU".

He will join Baroness Brady, the Apprentice star, the Innocent Drinks co-founder Richard Reed, Lord Mandelson and Danny Alexander, the former chief secretary to the Treasury, on the campaign's board.

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The other directors, sources said on Saturday (Shenzhen: 002291.SZ - news) , will include Jenny Halpern, a public relations boss, and Jude Kelly, the artistic director of London's South Bank Centre.

Speaking on Friday, Lord Rose 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."

Insiders said the campaign's launch event in east London would include a video featuring supportive messages from Sir Richard Branson and Carolyn McCall, the easyJet chief executive.

Ms McCall's endorsement is significant because she is a member of David Cameron's Business Advisory Group, underlining his recent remark to its members - revealed by Sky News this week - that they should publicly extol the benefits of European Union membership.

That discussion followed media reports in early September that executives had been‎ ordered to "shut up until a (reform) deal is done with the EU".

Sir Mike Rake, who handed over the presidency of the‎ CBI, the employers' group, earlier this year, said before he stepped down that business should "turn up the volume" on the Brexit debate.

That exhortation drew a sharp rebuke from Sajid Javid, the Business Secretary, who said it would be counter-productive to Britain's ability to extract meaningful reforms in Brussels if it appeared that the UK wanted to remain in at all costs.

On Tuesday, the Institute of Directors urged Mr Cameron to hold the in-out referendum within a year or risk the poll becoming a confidence vote on the Conservative Government.