Leaving EU Is A 'Leap In The Dark', Warns Rose

Former M&S boss Lord Rose claims Britain's membership of the EU saves all Britons £480m a year and the risk of leaving is a "leap in the dark".

Launching the Britain Stronger In Europe campaign, he attacked those who want to leave as "quitters" who are "running away" from attempts to reform the EU.

He said opting out of the EU would be a risk to the economy and membership meant Britain benefited from £226bn in exports and £237bn in investment.

Three million jobs in the UK were linked to Europe, he said.

Speaking at an event in central London, 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 that his campaign would reach out to every corner of the UK to make the case for staying in.

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."

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In a separate interview with Sky News, Lord Rose said he would campaign for Britain to stay in Europe "come what may" - even if David Cameron failed to negotiate a better deal.

But he added he believed the Prime Minister would be successful, telling Sky News Editor At Large Adam Boulton: "We will get some concessions from Europe. Europe does not want us out of Europe."

He said those who thought leaving the EU would solve the migrant crisis were wrong.

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."

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).