Business chief suspended for backing Brexit thanks Boris for supporting him and vows to campaign for Brexit as No 10 faces claims it 'had a hand' in forcing him out

The business chief suspended from his organisation for promoting Brexit today said he was 'grateful' for Boris Johnson's intervention on his behalf and vowed to keep speaking out.

John Longworth said he had 'no idea' if Downing Street had intervened with the British Chambers of Commerce amid demands for No 10 to 'come clean' about its role.

But speaking outside his Harrogate home today, Mr Longworth said he had made his own decision to resign, adding he would consider a formal campaign role.

Earlier today he blasted David Cameron for making 'highly irresponsible' claims about the dangers of leaving the EU, insisting the Government had a duty to be measured and make preparations for either result.

Row: David Cameron (right) is under pressure to 'come clean' about Government involvement in the ousting of a pro-Brexit business boss John Longworth (left), who has resigned over a speech in favour of quitting the EU

Mr Longworth was controversially suspended as director general last week after making his views clear at the BCC conference, despite the organisation being officially neutral on the EU question.

Number 10 today continued to deny pressure was placed upon the BCC after Thursday's conference but officials have repeatedly refused to deny anyone contacted the BCC only hours before the business group suspended him.

The Prime Minister's official spokeswoman was asked six times if contact was made with the BCC after Mr Longworth's speech. 

Speaking to Sky News today, Mr Longworth said: 'I have no idea what happened after the conference on Thursday.

'I'm certainly going to speak out on the EU referendum - that's why I have resigned. 

'I am very grateful for (Boris Johnson's) intervention on my behalf and I think that was an extremely helpful support for me and it certainly cheered me up over the weekend.' 

Mr Longworth said Government frequently made contact with business organisations, including the BCC, to make its views known.

And said this was done 'often in a very strident way'. 

But he insisted he did not know if this had been the case following last week's conference or if it had influenced his suspension. 

The Prime Minister's official spokeswoman said today: 'No 10 talks to business organisations regularly.

'This was a decision for John Longworth and the BCC.' 

She added: 'Let’s be absolutely clear no pressure was applied by Number 10.'

Friends of Mr Longworth said he believed Downing Street 'had a hand' in his removal.

And he today told the Daily Telegraph it was wrong for the Government to be 'peddling hyperbole' about Brexit.

Tory MP Liam Fox may raise the row in Parliament today and Boris Johnson has attacked the 'agents of project fear' who moved against Mr Longworth after his pro-Brexit remarks.

Mr Johnson today said he hoped Mr Longworth would now formally join the Out campaign, telling Sky News: 'I think it is very sad that somebody like John Longworth who’s given a lot of time, a lot of thought to the needs of British business and industry should be basically pushed out for saying what he thinks.'

David Davis, the Conservative Grassroots Out spokesman, announced he had filed a Freedom of Information request asking for records of conversations between No 10 and the BCC following Mr Longworth's speech. 

Boris Johnson, pictured left today, has intervened in support of Mr Longworth and backed him to take a role in the Out campaign. David Davis, right, has filed an FOI to get records of contact between No 10 and the BCC

He said: 'The last thing we want to see is a witch-hunt against business leaders brave and astute enough to make the argument that Britain would be better off economically if it regained the power to strike its own trade deals and was freed of the crippling burden of red tape, costing many billions a year, imposed by Brussels.' 

Mr Longworth said today: 'It is highly irresponsible of the government of the country to be peddling hyperbole.

'It is alright for the campaign groups to do it because they are promoting a particular position.  

'But the government has to be responsible. And the fact of the matter is that there is a chance that the country will vote to leave.

'If the government keeps peddling the line that it will be a disaster if we leave, which it actually won't be, they are going to put the country in a position where it will be damaged if we do.'

Mr Cameron is facing pressure to 'come clean' about Government involvement in the ousting of a pro-Brexit business boss. 

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said it was a 'bizarre conspiracy theory' to suggest government involvement.

He said: 'People who want to leave Europe - to vote No in the referendum - are seeing conspiracy theories everywhere now because they don't want to answer the basic question, which is 'If you leave Europe, where are you going?

'They have to start answering these questions instead of coming up with rather bizarre conspiracy theories that here the British Chambers of Commerce have flatly denied.'

London mayor: Boris Johnson (pictured on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show yesterday) claimed Mr Longworth had been crushed by the 'agents of Project Fear' for expressing a 'passionate, optimistic view'

The friends also insist that Mr Longworth had cleared his comments in advance with BCC president Nora Senior, who is a former adviser to Labour's Ed Balls.

The BCC today insisted this was not the case.  

Mr Fox, a Eurosceptic former defence minister, accused the Government of intimidation. 'I want to know what contact might have been made and what pressure might have been applied,' he said.

'If it did happen, then come clean about it quickly. Covering up events always has worse political consequences than the events themselves.'

Mr Johnson claimed Mr Longworth had been crushed by the 'agents of Project Fear' for expressing a 'passionate, optimistic view'.

The Brexit campaigner and London mayor added: 'He speaks for the many small and medium-sized businesses – the lifeblood of the economy – who cannot understand why they should comply with more and more regulation over which this country has no democratic control.'

'Come clean': Eurosceptic former defence minister Liam Fox accused the Government of intimidation

A friend of Mr Longworth said: 'John feels he has done everything by the book and is dismayed at what has happened. No 10 has had a hand in this, putting pressure on the BCC board to silence him.'

The BCC had suspended Mr Longworth just 24 hours after he said Britain could create a 'brighter economic future for itself' away from Brussels.

He said that having analysed the evidence, and speaking in a personal capacity, his assessment was that Britain should leave.

He also criticised the Prime Minister's renegotiation deal, saying the EU remained 'essentially unreformed' and was 'incapable of reform'. Officially, the BCC has adopted a neutral position for the referendum.

No 10 yesterday denied it had put 'pressure' on the BCC to remove Mr Longworth. But sources repeatedly failed to deny that officials had contacted the organisation to discuss his intervention.

Senior Tory David Davis said: 'The last thing we want to see is a witch-hunt against business leaders brave and astute enough to make the argument that Britain would be better off economically if it regained the power to strike its own trade deals and was freed of the crippling burden of red tape, costing many billions a year, imposed by Brussels.

'We need to know there was no contact between ministers and their officials before Friday's BCC board meeting that took the decision to suspend its chief.'

Mr Longworth's intervention came at the BCC's annual conference last week. 

Pro-EU cabinet ministers George Osborne and Sajid Javid both spoke at the conference on the understanding the organisation would be neutral in the referendum debate. 

Government sources last night acknowledged that ministers were 'surprised' by Mr Longworth's hard-hitting intervention. But they insisted they had not pressured the BCC to remove him.

A Number 10 spokesman said: 'Given that 60 per cent of BCC members say they want to stay in the EU, No 10 was surprised to see the director general of the organisation come out for Brexit. We are clear no pressure was put on the BCC to suspend him.'

'Shouldn't be gagged': Matthew Elliott, chief executive of Vote Leave, praised Mr Longworth for his intervention

But Matthew Elliott, chief executive of Vote Leave, praised Mr Longworth for his intervention, adding: 'He shouldn't be gagged from speaking out – he's voicing the opinion of millions of entrepreneurs across the land.'

But the intervention angered some senior BCC figures who back EU membership.

Kim Conchie, chief executive of the Cornwall Chamber of Commerce, said the 'overwhelming majority' of local members were in favour of continued EU membership. He added: 'That's why John Longworth was suspended, not due to any outside pressure.'

In a statement last night, the BCC claimed Mr Longworth had accepted his support of Brexit was 'likely to create confusion' over the group's official stance.

It insisted the decision to resign was mutually agreed, but said that although representatives of the BCC had the right to personal opinions, 'they are not expected to articulate these views while acting in their professional capacity'.

'John Longworth and the BCC Board recognise that John's personal view on the referendum is likely to create confusion regarding the BCC's neutral stance going forward,' the statement said.

'In light of this, John has taken the decision to step down as director general and his resignation has been accepted by the board with effect from 6 March 2016.

'No politician or interest group had any influence on the BCC Board decision.'

WHY WON'T ANY OF HIS COLLEAGUES EXPLAIN WHY THEY TURNED ON HIM?

All ten members of the board that suspended John Longworth were unavailable or refused to comment yesterday. The British Chambers of Commerce press office did not return calls.

President: Nora Senior was the first woman to lead the BCC in a decade and lives in a £380,000 house

NO ANSWER

President of the board since 2013, Nora Senior was the first woman to lead the BCC in a decade and is a former adviser to Ed Balls. There was no answer at her £380,000 house in Nottingham and calls to her mobile went unanswered.

'OUT WITH THE DOGS'

A lawyer by training, Clive Memmott is chief executive of the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce. A woman who took a message at his £450,000 Derby home said: 'He has gone out with the dogs.'

'OUT WALKING'

Mark Clarke worked as director-general of finance and strategy at the Department for Business under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. Yesterday at his £2million townhouse in Islington, north London, a woman who took a message said: 'He's out walking.'

PHONE PUT DOWN

Vice-president of the BCC Francis Martin is a former president of the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce. Yesterday his phone was answered but then the line went dead and further calls were not answered.

COULDN'T BE REACHED

Former politics lecturer Ian Kelly has been chief executive of Hull and Humber Chamber of Commerce since 1995. He could not be reached.

'NO COMMENT'

A former director of companies in the pub, restaurant and hotel sectors, David Bland is now a member of the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce. Answering the door of his £1.4million house in Sutton Coldfield, he said: 'I've got nothing to say. No comment.'

'NO COMMENT'

With 30 years of expertise in manufacturing, finance and family business, Wendy Bowers is president of the East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce. She said last night: 'No comment. You need to speak to the press office.'

NO REPLY

French-born Robin Truchy has worked in senior positions at a variety of pan-European companies, including a four-year stint as Europe director of XBOX Live. He did not respond to voice messages yesterday.

NO REPLY

A former graduate trainee at John Lewis, Julia Warren is now a leading HR consultant based in Reading, Berkshire. There was no reply to messages yesterday.

'NO COMMENT'

Greg Watkins has lived and worked in Thailand for 24 years and has been the executive director of the British Chamber of Commerce Thailand since 1996. He declined to comment.

RUTH SUTHERLAND: Hero who didn't hide his contempt for those in power

John Longworth: The no-nonsense Lancastrian had a strong record for standing up to the Government

Having endured a five-day cycle ride through a region of India famed for its wild tigers, John Longworth should have been well-prepared for this mauling by desperate pro-EU propagandists.

The journey through Rajasthan a few years ago with his wife, which raised money for charity, was typical of a man whose job was to champion the 75,000 small- and medium-sized businesses employing millions – what he called 'the engine room' of the economy.

The 57-year-old no-nonsense Lancastrian had a strong record for standing up to the Government. Since his appointment as head of the British Chambers of Commerce in 2011, he had been vociferous on a range of policies.

He called David Cameron 'gutless' for delaying Heathrow's expansion. He excoriated the Treasury for over-burdening the self-employed with tax returns. He said the country's energy policy was a 'complete mess'.

He had condemned ministers for creating red tape and hampering small businesses by failing to supply decent broadband. And he had said many school-leavers were unemployable as they could not speak confidently or turn up on time.

Now, the EU was the issue that galvanised him. He had said: 'Brussels is a law–making machine and businesses are struggling to cope with an avalanche of regulation.'

He once sneered at a 1,000-page report on the UK's prospects outside the EU from pressure group Business For Britain. Longworth joked: 'I keep a copy in the boot of my car in case I get a flat tyre.' 

Also a target was ITV political editor Robert Peston. Last year he dubbed the tendency to spread 'gloom and doom' about the economy 'Peston-itis'.

A man who never sought the limelight: Since his appointment as head of the British Chambers of Commerce in 2011, the 57-year-old had been vociferous on a range of policies

For a man who never sought the limelight, last week's bombshell speech was the moment his private agonising went public. But for those of us who had listened to plain-speaking Longworth over the past few years, it was not surprising.

He was raised in Bolton and attended a grammar school before Salford University. Now living in Harrogate, his background was miles away from the London-based charmed circle of prominent pro-EU business leaders who represent fat-cat directors of multinational firms.

His loyalty lay with those at the coal face, contending with the daily struggle of EU regulation. Indeed, he advised Margaret Thatcher's government on cutting red tape.

In a 30-year career, his past roles include board positions at Asda and senior jobs at Tesco and the Co-operative Wholesale Society. He is a non-executive director of drinks firm Nichols and set up his own company, SVA, a science and IT business, in 2009.

Married to Sheila, 55, he has two children and the couple live in a detached house worth about £795,000. His hobbies include opera, theatre, running and cycling.

He regarded other business lobby group leaders as pussyfooters who, frightened of upsetting the Government, couch even the mildest of criticism in tactful language.

What is more, Longworth never concealed his contempt for those in power. Typical was his opinion that Britain's economy has been crippled by 'professional politicians' and 'self-serving' Whitehall officials who failed to kick-start growth.

Longworth was not a rogue voice but a brave and highly principled man who spent three decades at the heart of business.

His opinions on the EU were based on extensive research. He believes that Britain, quite simply, has not had a good deal from Europe.

Last week, Longworth said that the British Chamber of Commerce had stopped tracking the mounting expense of Brussels red tape, because 'nobody was listening'. He may have been forced to resign for telling the truth as he sees it, but now people are certainly listening to John Longworth – a man who showed that he was not frightened of anything, from pro-EU bullies to Indian tigers.