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Business chief John Longworth resigns over Brexit views

John Longworth has resigned as director general of the British Chambers of Commerce after accepting his support of Brexit was "likely to create confusion" over the group's official stance, a spokesman for the business organisation said.

It comes after Downing Street denied accusations of involvement with Mr Longworth's suspension from the BCC.

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Grayling: Treatment of John Longworth 'disgraceful'

Leader of the House of Commons, Chris Grayling, has labelled the treatment of John Longworth by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) "disgraceful".

Mr Longworth resigned after he expressed the view that Britain would be better off outside the European Union, which is in contrast to the BCC's officially 'neutral' position on the referendum issue.

Mr Grayling said Mr Longworth should have been able to campaign for the UK to leave the EU from within the BCC, just like the Prime Minister has allowed current ministers in the government.

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Business chief John Longworth resigns over Brexit views

John Longworth Credit: PA

John Longworth has resigned as director general of the British Chambers of Commerce after accepting his support of Brexit was "likely to create confusion" over the group's official stance, a spokesman for the business organisation said.

It comes after The Sunday Telegraph reported that a friend of Mr Longworth had told them Downing Street had "bullied" and "put pressure" on BCC board members to suspend their director general.

Downing Street denied the claims.

A statement from the BCC said:

The British Chambers of Commerce is a non-partisan organisation, and as such, decided not to campaign for either side ahead of the European referendum on 23rd June 2016. Its neutrality in the referendum debate reflects the real divisions that exist in business communities across the UK.

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.

No politician or interest group had any influence on the BCC board decision to suspend Mr Longworth. His subsequent resignation was agreed mutually between Mr Longworth and the BCC board, and there were no external factors involved.

The only views taken into account were those of the BCC board and the BCC's owners, the UK-accredited chamber network.

All representatives of the BCC have the right to personal and political views on the key issues of the day. However, they are not expected to articulate these views while acting in their professional capacity, as their views could be misconstrued as representing the position of the organisation as a whole.

The BCC will continue to use its position to reflect the varied views of the business communities it serves, articulate their concerns, and seek greater clarity and information from both sides.

– British Chambers of Commerce

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