London: The head of a major British business group resigned from his post on Sunday after publicly backing leaving the European Union, sparking a row over whether he had stepped down due to political pressure.
John Longworth stepped down as head of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) after he expressed support for Britain leaving the EU at the group's annual conference, despite the BCC's official stance of neutrality.
In a statement, BCC president Nora Senior said that "no politician or interest" had influenced Longworth's decision, saying that his expression of pro-Brexit views was "likely to create confusion" on the group's neutral stance.
Prime Minister David Cameron's office was forced to deny that it had leaned on the BCC to suspend Longworth following his remarks.
"We are clear no pressure was put on the BCC to suspend him," a Downing Street spokesman said.
But eurosceptic politicians dismissed the defence, claiming that Longworth had been a victim of "Project Fear" -- the nickname they have given the campaign to stay in the EU because of its focus on the security and economic risks of ending Britain's 43-year-old membership of the European bloc.
"Well done Downing Street. You got your man," wrote Douglas Carswell, an MP for the eurosceptic UK Independence Party, on Twitter.
AFP
