Support for EU remains strong in North-East

The figures, revealed in an Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce survey released today, are consistent with previous surveys carried out in February 2016 and September 2015, and the 76 per cent who would vote to remain compares against a national UK average of 54 per cent.

Fifteen per cent would vote to leave, compared with a 37 per cent UK average, and 9 per cent in the North-east say they still do not know how they will vote.

These results have remained fairly stable across the three surveys, despite the national mood of business showing a seven point rise in support for a Brexit (up to 37 per cent from 30 per cent in February) with a corresponding drop in support for the Remain campaign (54 per cent, down from 60 per cent in February).

To date, more than four in five in the region (86 per cent) say that the referendum has had no material impact on orders, sales, recruitment, attraction of investment or total business costs.

This has decreased since February, when 92 per cent said it had had no impact, and in this most recent survey, 12 per cent say that the referendum has had a slightly negative impact on their total costs.

A majority of respondents believe that a “remain” vote would result in no impact to their business.

The greatest change with only 43 days before the UK goes to the polls is the proportion of North-east business leaders who say they are unsure of the impact of a vote to leave.

A fifth say they are uncertain how a Brexit would affect their overall growth strategy (20 per cent) and profitability (21 per cent), an increase from February (11 per cent and 16 per cent respectively).

When asked how sure they were of their voting intention, there has been a marked increase in the proportion of “leave” voters who are completely committed, from 24 per cent in February to 42 per cent now.

Russell Borthwick, chief executive of Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce, said: “These findings show that business opinion on membership of the European Union has remained fairly constant in the North-east.

“The contrast with the UK results is perhaps due to the global nature of the trade which drives our economy, although it is concerning that some members are now reporting a negative impact on their costs.

“No matter what the result of the referendum, the Chamber will continue to work to maintain a strong, confident and sustainable business base to ensure a prosperous future for the region.”