Britain Stronger in Europe

Britain Stronger in Europe logo, Source: [http://www.strongerin.co.uk/volunteer

Britain Stronger in Europe is the official 'remain' campaign group promoting the benefits of continued membership of the European Union ahead of a British referendum scheduled for 23 June 2016. It was the only campaign group to apply to the Electoral Commission to act as flag bearer for the remain campaign and is registered as 'The In Campaign Ltd'.

Background

The campaign's website summarises its position, arguing that:

'To vote to remain part of Europe is to vote for a stronger, better off, safer Britain that delivers opportunity for individuals and families, now and in the future. To vote to leave is to take a leap into the unknown, risking a weaker economy, the prospects of future generations and a loss of influence on the world stage.'

It enjoys support from across the political spectrum, with backing from key figures in the Conservative Party and the Labour Party, as well as the former leader of the Green Party, and pro-EU groups such as European Movement, Open Europe and the Centre for European Reform.

When figures were published on 11 May 2016, it was revealed that between 1 February and 21 April, Britain Stronger in Europe had raised £6.9 million in donations, more than double Vote Leave's total of £2.8 million, with the remain campaign significantly boosted by Lord David Sainsbury's donations adding up to £2.3 million.

The Electoral Commission has also removed 11 groups that fell under the Grassroots Out movement from its register, restricting them from spending more than £10,000 on campaigning. Britain Stronger in Europe said the ruling was 'a damning verdict on Leave campaigns' attempts to circumvent the strict spending rules'. Conservative Party MP and co-founder of Grassroots Out Peter Bone hit back, saying the remarks were 'absurd, wrong and very disturbing'.

Global banks bankroll battle to keep Britain in the EU

David Cameron's campaign to keep Britain in the EU (and by extension to save his political skin) has been funded by the global banking sector to the tune of £1.5 million. The list of funders includes banking heavyweights such as Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley and Citibank, and Britain Stronger in Europe (the lead Remain campaign) has also received a £20,000 loan from Lloyd's Bank at a rate of just 1%.

The Leave camp, headed by Vote Leave, has dubbed this a 'David vs Goliath' battle, with the global financial elite attempting to close ranks.

Former SDP leader Lord David Owen articulated this point in depth: 'The EU works in the interests of the elite - the one percent - so it is entirely unsurprising to find that the campaign to keep us in the Union is financed by big banks like Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan. With their unlimited cash, they are lobbying the British people to act in a way that benefits their profit margin. Remember, these banks are the very people who crashed the economy in 2008 - mis-selling toxic mortgages and cooking the books to allow Greece to join the single currency...These figures show again that we are in a David vs Goliath fight, but it is one we are determined to win.'

Key backers

• Lord Stuart Rose - Chair
• Will Straw - Executive director
• Roland Rudd - Treasurer
• Lucy Thomas - Deputy director
• James McGrory - Chief spokesman
• Brendan Barber - Former TUC boss
• David Cameron | George Osborne | Jeremy Corbyn | Alan Johnson | Liberal Democrats | Plaid Cymru | Alliance | SDLP (NI) | Green Party

Funding

Recorded by the Electoral Commission:

Date	Name of donor	Amount
31/03/2016	David Sainsbury	£2,564,454 (three donations)
31/03/2016	David Harding	£750,000
18/03/2016	Lloyd Dorfman	£500,000
19/04/2016	Anna Rausing	£250,000
15/04/2016	Andrew Law	£200,000
19/04/2016	David Potter	£150,000
07/04/2016	The Tower Limited Company	£500,000
19/04/2016	Bloomberg Tradebook Europe Ltd	£250,000
31/03/2016	Grovepoint Capital	£250,000
10/02/2016	Morgan & Stanley Co. International	£250,000
05/04/2016	Citigroup Partners	£250,000
06/04/2016	Ian Taylor	£150,000
23/03/2016	Anthony Daniell	£100,000
14/04/2016	David Brownlow	£100,000
07/04/2016	Donald Houston	£74, 144.50
01/03/2016	Joseph Schull	£100,000 (two donations)
11/04/2016	Kumar Sushantha Bhattacharyya	£50,000
05/04/2016	Simon Robertson	£50,000
23/03/2016	Bruno Schroder	£50,000
18/03/2016	Simon Palley	£30,000
23/03/2016	PLLG Limited	£25,000
13/04/2016	Roland Rudd	£32,508.50 (two donations)
21/04/2016	Paul Myners	£25,000
30/03/2016	Richard Brindle	£25,000
09/03/2016	Alexander Wilmot-Setwell	£15,000
08/04/2016	Emmanuel Roman	£15,000
23/03/2016	Patrick Drayton	£15,000
21/04/2016	John Armitage	£15,000
30/03/2016	Warren Finegold	£10,000
24/02/2016	Paul Jefferys	£10,000
07/02/2016	Michael Plantevin	£10,000
08/04/2016	Eurostar International	£7,508.50
13/04/2016	Oliver Haardmann	£7,508.50
12/04/2016	Evan Davies	£7,508.50
14/04/2016	Richard Reed	£7,508.50
21/04/2016	Airbus	£7,508.50
20/04/2016	Finsbury Group	£7,508.50
29/03/2016	Pricewaterhouse Coopers	£7,508.50
08/04/2016	Peter Kadas	£7,508.50
29/03/2016	Stuart Rose	£7,508.50