As part of his visit to East Anglia, Cameron toured the the brewery to see, first-hand, the brewing process behind Greene King’s ales. The visit ended at the Greene King Beer Café, where the prime minister answered questions from a number of the Greene King team about the referendum on Thursday June 23.
Greene King chief executive Rooney Anand said: “We were delighted to host the Prime Minister at our Bury St Edmunds brewery today as part of his wider visit to the region. The Prime Minister had the opportunity see first-hand how our fine real ale is brewed.
‘Help make a decision’
Members of the Greene King team enjoyed sharing their passion for brewing and asking the prime minister questions about the referendum to help them make a decision about how to vote on June 23.”
Earlier this year, Anand signed a letter to The Times along with nearly 200 other business leaders calling on people to vote to remain in the EU.
Speaking ahead of his visit to the region, Cameron said: “My view, supported by a huge number of experts and independent organisations, is that we are stronger, safer and better-off inside a reformed Europe.
‘We’re better off in’
“Leaving would risk our security and make it harder for us to get things done in the world to advance our interests. But above all, leaving would cause economic pain for people in the east of England and beyond. We’re better off in.”
Cameron said three reasons underpinned that view. First, was “the immediate economic shock that leaving would cause”. Second, was the UK’s access to the the single market.
Third, was the investment the east of England received from the EU. “Not just important grants for life sciences, research and technology projects, but also for agriculture,” said Cameron.
“Today, this region receives almost £300M in grants for farming from the EU, in a sector that supports almost 40,000 jobs. If we left, this money cannot be guaranteed. As long as I am prime minister, I would try to ensure that an agricultural support system would be maintained.
“But all the experts argue that leaving the EU wouldn’t save us money; it would cost us money, because a smaller economy means less tax revenue. Savings would have to be made.”
Meanwhile, last month environment secretary Liz Truss urged food and drink manufacturers to promote the benefits of EU membership to their workforces.