The ‘In’ campaign will be called Britain Stronger in Europe – which means it has the rather unfortunate acronym BSE. It is already being mocked as the Mad Cow campaign…

It’s choice of chairman is an own goal, too. M & S boss Stuart Rose has claimed that voters concerned by immigration just “complain about their lot”. The multi-millionaire businessman says “life is tough for everybody” and told Britons to do “menial jobs” rather than protest immigration:

“If these people want to come here, and work the hours they are prepared to work for the wages they are prepared to work for, then so be it. It’s up to people to decide what they want to do. I think there are a lot of people who complain about their lot. Life is tough for everybody at times. I know people will look at me and say “It’s alright for you” but I started off with pretty well nothing, I did a lot of menial jobs when I was young. I didn’t worry about the status of the job, I was more worried about my self esteem and the fact I had a job. I would look myself in the mirror and say “I’ve earned a few bob”.”

That line of argument will not go down well with people wary of a “Bosses’ Europe”…

Rose has also been a staunch critic of the EU in the past, arguing: “Business faces ever more burdens from Brussels and the single market in Europe has not yet been fully realised”. He also says we’d be fine outside the EU: “I think it’s ridiculous to suggest that everybody is going to suddenly go offshore, I don’t believe that for one moment”. Rose’s name has regularly appeared at the bottom of Open Europe epistles attacking Cameron’s renegotiation as too weak. Now he says we should stay in at any cost…