Jeremy Browne to tour Europe ahead of Referendum

I was lucky enough to visit Guildhall in London a couple of months back and spent a very enjoyable afternoon being shown round and hearing about its fascinating history. I had a lovely lunch, too. While in the dining room, I saw Jeremy Browne having a big lunch meeting. It wasn't long after he'd been appointed as the City of London's representative to the EU, a role which is right up his street after his stint as a foreign office minister during the Coalition.

Sky News reports that he's heading off on a tour of EU capitals to showcase the importance of the city of London to the EU.

Explaining the motives for the series of discussions, Mr Browne told Sky News: "I do not want the City of London to be resented by policymakers elsewhere in Europe.

"I do not even want it to be tolerated. I want the City of London to be admired and valued.

"I want it to be seen as part of the solution, not part of the problem. That involves getting out there and making our case."

His tour, which will continue in the months leading up to a 'Brexit' vote, is designed to "start a meaningful dialogue about how the City of London can contribute to the EU's policy goals of increasing economic growth and boosting employment", according to a person familiar with the agenda.

While the City of London Corporation has not stated whether it will actively support the campaign to keep Britain in the EU, many of its senior officials believe that retaining membership would be of greater benefit to the City and the wider UK economy.

Mr Browne added: "The City of London should retain a strong and vigilant presence in Brussels which is alert to the potential impact of regulation.

"That remains important and our ambition is to facilitate an even better dialogue between policymakers and the businesses that feel the force of any changes.

"At the same time, it is essential that the City of London is engaged and speaks effectively and systematically with political leaders across Europe.

* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings

Source: Jeremy Browne to tour Europe ahead of Referendum