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Campaign for an Independent Britain

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Campaign for an Independent Britain
Founded1969
TypeCampaign group
FocusCampaigning for the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union
Location
Area served
United Kingdom
Key people
Leigh Evans (Chairman)
Daniel Hodson (Deputy Chairman and Honorary Treasurer)
Ben Philips (Honorary Secretary)
Websitewww.cibuk.org

The Campaign for an Independent Britain (CIB UK) is a cross-party UK Eurosceptic campaign group which calls for the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union. Since 2016 the organisation continues to campaign for the full withdrawal from the remaining obligations which subject the United Kingdom to the direct effect of European Union law.

Origins

The Campaign for an Independent Britain (CIB) was formed in 1969 as a cross party coalition opposed to Common Market entry in 1973. It is an umbrella group supported by public donations with an elected executive of up to 14 members that has become recognised as the leading group of Eurosceptic campaigners in the UK, being one of the few groups which has advocated withdrawal from what is now the European Union ever since the UK joined.

The founding organisations were the Labour Euro Safeguards Campaign, Conservatives Against a Federal Europe, Campaign Against European Federation (trade unions) and Get Britain Out.

Other organisations which have representatives on the CIB National Committee are The Freedom Association, the Bruges Group and the Anti-Common Market League. CIB co-operates with the Tax Payers’ Alliance and Save Our Sovereignty. CIB was instrumental in setting up TEAM which is the body to which Eurosceptic groups across the European Union belong.

The CIB is non-party-political, non-racist and non-sectarian. Its Constitution states that its objective is:

“to campaign for the restoration of full national sovereignty to the UK by its withdrawal from the obligations of the Treaties of European Union and the repeal of the European Communities Act 1972 as amended so that Parliament may legislate freely and the UK may co-operate with other nations as it thinks fit”

It is a “broad church” of political opinion but states that it will not tolerate racists or extremists from either side of the political divide and that it rejects any organisation known to be motivated by anti democratic intentions.

CIB publicises the advantages of a better future outside of the restrictive EU with Britain free to further its own trading links with the rest of the world, in particular with Commonwealth countries and English speaking nations

Current aims

Following the 2016 Brexit referendum, the exit of the UK from the EU in January 2020 and the coming into force of the UK-EU free trade agreement the next year, the organisation has continued to campaign to reduce and eliminate the continued influence of EU law in the UK. In particular it seeks to restore "full national sovereignty to the United Kingdom", a concept known as Parliamentary sovereignty. Thus, it lobbies and campaigns against what it perceives as "any cession of sovereignty from the United Kingdom or any of its constituent parts to the European Union or to other supranational bodies" other than where there has been a referendum approving of this.

People

CIB's Chairman is Leigh Evans who replaced long serving Chairman, Edward Spalton. Leigh is also Chairman and Founder of Facts4EU.Org. He was formerly Vice-Chairman of the Brexit Coalition and is currently Vice-Chairman of a City think-tank as well as being Chairman of the China Analysis Group. Leigh has been a Life Fellow of the RSA since 1993, following his nomination by Council.

CIB's Deputy Chairman and Honorary Treasurer is Professor Daniel Hodson. Professor Hodson is a former Finance Director of a FTSE 100 Company and Nationwide Building Society, former President and Chairman of the Association of Corporate Treasurers, former CEO and Regulatory Responsible Officer of LIFFE, former Chairman of the University of Winchester, and of the Design and Artists Copyright Society, a former director of the London Clearing House and of the Post Office, and lectured whilst Gresham Professor of Commerce on mutual organisations and governance.

Professor Hodson has been involved in Brexit for over a decade as former Chairman of the OpCo of The People’s Pledge, Treasurer of Business for Britain. He is a current Director of Vote Leave and Chairman of The City for Britain and the CityUnited Project.

CIB's Honorary Secretary and Membership Secretary is Ben Philips. Ben is the founder-owner of a family-run hospitality business with a background in investment banking and financial services.


Oxford University

In 1990 a branch of the Campaign was set up in Oxford University by Daniel Hannan and Mark Reckless.[1][2][3][4] In the run up to the Maastricht Treaty it for a short while became the largest student political society in Oxford including future ministers such as Nicky Morgan.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Truss's Oxford Europhilia revealed | the Spectator".
  2. ^ Segal, David (14 May 2022). "An Outsider Takes an Inside Look at the Oxford 'Chums' Who Run the U.K." The New York Times.
  3. ^ "Brexit's humble beginnings in the Queen's Lane Coffee House". 7 November 2017.
  4. ^ "The man who brought you Brexit | Sam Knight". TheGuardian.com. 29 September 2016.
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