it’s that pivotal role which strengthens our global influence, our power, our security, our trade and our economic opportunity

Thursday, 19 May 2016

Speaking at an EU Referendum debate organised by the UK200Group, Yvette Cooper MP has said that being part of networks such as the EU makes the UK a great country.

The Member of Parliament for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford and former Shadow Home Secretary is a well-respected and longstanding member of the Labour Party, having been a serving MP since 1997. She said, “I think Britain is a great country and a small island that punches about its weight; not because of our industrial past or our colonial history, but because we have a pivotal position in so many of the important networks across the planet.

“Uniquely, Britain is a member of NATO, the Commonwealth, the Five Eyes and also the UN and EU, and it’s that pivotal role which strengthens our global influence, our power, our security, our trade and our economic opportunity.”

The EU Referendum is on 23 June is just over a month away and many small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) owners are still unclear on how leaving or staying in the EU will affect their businesses and themselves.

For this reason, the UK200Group, the UK’s leading membership association of quality-assured independent chartered accountancy and law firms, has uploaded a film of its high-profile Campaign for Clarity debate at Coventry University London Campus to YouTube in order to clarify the arguments of both Remain and Leave camps.

Collectively, the UK200Group’s members support over 150,000 SMEs, many of whom are asking their accountants and lawyers how a ‘Remain’ or ‘Leave’ vote will affect their businesses. These questions were posed to the panel at the debate.

The fiery debate was chaired by futurologist and author Dr James Bellini, who spent 25 years in the broadcasting industry presenting programmes such as The Money Programme, Newsnight and Panorama, and as a studio presenter with Financial Times Television and Sky News.

James Abbott, President of the UK200Group, said, “It is the insight and the strength of our members’ relationship with their clients that led to this Campaign for Clarity, a campaign that raises awareness of the views, opinions and needs of SME businesses to enable them to make an informed decision on 23 June.

“This is the political decision of a generation, so we want to ensure that even if people missed the debate they can catch up on it on our YouTube channel.

“We’ve also passed 30 key questions affecting SMEs to both sides of the referendum, and we’re looking forward to working with both Remain and Leave campaigns to publish their responses.”

The UK200Group, which was established in 1986, represents a group of trusted, quality-assured business advisers – accountants and lawyers – who have over 150,000 SME clients in total. As such, the UK200Group acts as the voice for 1,500 charities, over 10% of all registered academies, more than 3,700 farms, 800 healthcare businesses and over 500 property and construction professionals.

Useful links:
Debate on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrSZ8-iNYuQ
The UK200Group: http://www.uk200group.co.uk/
UK200Group on Twitter: https://twitter.com/uk200group
Coventry University London Campus: http://www.coventry.ac.uk/culc/
Dr James Bellini: http://www.jamesbellini.com/
David Davis MP: http://www.daviddavismp.com/
Yvette Cooper MP: http://www.yvettecooper.com/
Douglas Carswell MP: http://www.douglascarswell.com/about-douglas/
Britain Stronger in Europe: http://www.strongerin.co.uk/

ENDS

High resolution images are available on request.

Media information provided by Famous Publicity. For further information, please contact George Murdoch at george@famouspublicity.com or 03333 442 341 or Tina Fotherby on 07703 409 622 or tina@famouspublicity.com.

About the UK200Group:

The UK200Group was formed in 1986, and is the UK’s leading association of independent chartered accountants and law firms, with connections around the world.

The association brings together around 150 member offices in the UK with more than 500 partners who serve roughly 150,000 business clients. Its international links in nearly 70 countries give its members access to expertise across the globe.