Osborne among latest backers of ‘Building says IN’ ahead of crucial referendum

Andy Steele

Osborne has become the latest heavyweight company to sign up to Building’s remain in the EU campaign, ‘Building says IN’, three days before the crucial referendum.

The £311m-turnover contractor, alongside its chief executive Andy Steele (pictured) and chairman Andrew Osborne as individual signatories, are the latest of a raft of businesses and individuals to throw their support behind Britain’s membership of the EU.

Other new signatories to Building’s campaign in the last few days include Shane Rooney, pre-construction director at Bouygues’ London housing division, Russell Curtis, director at RCKa architects, Peter Burton, director at Lamton Construction, and Tim Stringer, divisional director at Integral Build.

They join backers including ISG, Mace, Mott MacDonald, Willmott Dixon, JLL and Rider Levett Bucknall, while individual supporters include developers Peter Rogers and James Pellatt, housebuilder Andy Hill, engineer Hanif Kara and consultant bosses Steven Barker and Richard Steer.

These supporters believe leaving the EU would jeapordise foreign direct investment in the UK and would likely result in higher materials and labour costs.

These threats come at a critical time for the construction sector as it gears up to help the UK address its housing crisis and to deliver the next generation of major infrastructure programmes.

The new signatories come after campaigning ahead of the referendum recommenced yesterday after it was suspended following the killing of the Labour MP Jo Cox on Thursday.

Today began with news that Conservative peer Sayeeda Warsi had quit the leave campaign, accusing lead Brexit campaigner Michael Gove of spreading “complete lies about Turkey’s accession to the EU”.

Over the weekend the latest polls suggested a slight swing back towards remain. The FT poll of polls put remain and leave on 44% apiece.

>> Click here to read the full list of signatories to Building’s campaign and to sign up