Alan Halsall is Chairman of Silver Cross and Co-Chairman of Business for Britain
It seems premature to start writing the history of a campaign on the day it launches, but ConservativeHome deserves a 'hat tip' for the role it has played in the creation of Business for Britain (BfB). Back in December 2011, Paul Goodman explained the need for a "Business for Britain" campaign, and in January of this year, Tim Montgomerie put me in touch with Matthew Elliott, after they had a conversation about his plans for a successor to Business for Sterling. So, thank you, ConservativeHome! Not only do you produce an excellent website, but you also play an important role making things happen behind the scenes.
In the wake of the Prime Minister’s landmark speech, laying out his vision for a fundamentally reformed EU and a renegotiated deal for Britain, the seemingly all-consuming matter of whether the British people should be given a referendum has finally been dealt with. As the North-West Chairman of the 'I Want a Referendum' campaign on the Lisbon Treaty, I know how important this element of David Cameron's speech was. Questions still linger over the referendum commitment from Labour and the Liberal Democrats, but David Cameron’s pledge has allowed the broader debate on what kind of relationship we want with the European Union to take front and centre stage, as it should.