Further to his suspension British Chambers of Commerce DG John Longworth has resigned
- accepts that his support for leaving the EU was "likely to create confusion".
The news came out overnight and ahead of a question to be tabled in parliament asking whether the Prime Minister's office had any role to play in Longworth's suspension, an accusation they strongly deny.
I highlighted the story in my Brexit post yesterday after Longworth was quoted as saying the UK's long-term prospects could be "brighter" outside the EU. The party line from the BCC is one of neutrality given that their polled members are equally split on the Leave/Remain referendum.
The Beeb reports:
The BCC said Mr Longworth had breached the group's official position of neutrality on the referendum.BCC president Nora Senior said the organisation was "non-partisan" and had decided not to campaign for either side in the forthcoming UK referendum on EU membership.
She added:
"John Longworth and the BCC board recognise that John's personal view on the referendum is likely to create confusion regarding the BCC's neutral stance going forward.
"In light of this, John has taken the decision to step down as director general and his resignation has been accepted by the board with effect from 6 March 2016."
She stressed that his resignation was
"agreed mutually between Mr Longworth and the BCC Board, and there were no external factors involved".
Expect this one to run for a while with both sides keen to seek political/vote catching advantage.
The BBC has more on the story here.