Brexit campaign signs up three millionaire backers ahead of — European Union referndum

The aptly-titled “Vote Leave” has support from members of the Conservative party, Labour politicians, as well as the business community.

But asked how they would vote if Mr Cameron fails to re-establish supremacy over European Union law, 43 per cent said they would vote to leave compared to 38 per cent who would want to stay in.

“I want to see a campaign which brings together those from all parts of the United Kingdom who want to take back control of our countries’ laws to the British Parliament”, she added.

Historian Andrew Roberts, one of the leading figures backing Vote Leave, told the Daily Mail: ‘In 1973 when Britain was in danger of becoming a third-rate power, it might have made sense to connect ourselves to the Common Market, especially as it claimed it had no political overtones.

Cameron has promised to renegotiate Britain’s ties with the 28-member bloc before holding a referendum on the country’s continuing membership by the end of 2017.

However Mr Carswell was dismissive of Leave European Union, suggesting it lacked the campaigning experience which Vote Leave enjoyed, including Matthew Elliott, the founder of the Taxpayers’ Alliance, and Dominic Cummings, a former special adviser to Michael Gove.

Nevertheless when pressed in a BBC interview last month he said he could not foresee Labour campaigning for Britain to leave under his leadership.

The “Vote Leave” campaign revealed on its website on Thursday that it would be run by lawmakers from a range of political parties, including from the Conservative party of Prime Minister David Cameron, the opposition Labour party, and the eurosceptic UK Independence Party.

He said: “Conservatives for Britain supports the prime minister’s attempt to negotiate a fundamentally different relationship with the EU”.

‘Work must start now. Under Electoral Commission rules the “leave” campaign will not have to declare any donations they receive before the referendum bill is passed into law – allowing the campaign to amass a secret war chest of undeclared funding. That is the safer choice – safer for our democracy and our economy.

Among its business backers are John Caudwell, co-founder of Phones 4u, Joe Foster, who founded Reebok, Luke Johnson, Chairman of Patisserie Valerie, Lord Kalms, former Chairman of Dixons, and Scots businessman Alastair MacMillan, of White House Products in Renfrewshire.

“I look forward to building a campaign that has no interest in party loyalties and is focused on what is best for Britain and our friends in Europe”. Rather, it opposes membership under current conditions.

But Vote Leave has money, campaign muscle, a plan to build a politically broad-based group, and a clear message.