The CBI has announced that it will make the “economic case [for Britain] to remain’ in the EU, following an internal poll revealing that 80% of members support staying in. Yet they’re refusing to officially endorse Remain…

“The CBI presently is not planning to register as a permitted participant with the Electoral Commission. The CBI will remain compliant whilst continuing to represent the views of its members in the referendum debate e.g. through press releases and broadcast interviews. The CBI is in touch with the Electoral Commission who have provided guidance and has taken independent legal advice to ensure our plans comply.”

Could it be that the CBI are scared of having a repeat of the Scottish referendum? Back in April last year they came out in favour of the Better Together campaign for Scotland to vote to stay in the UK. The resulting backlash concerning the organisation’s neutrality caused a number of other ‘independent’ organisations to withdraw their membership, including the BBC, Scottish broadcaster STV, the Law Society of Scotland and most of the country’s universities. As a result, the CBI was forced to back down and remain neutral. Does this explain their curious and cunning ‘unofficial’ stance this time round?