Pass the sugar.

A interesting alliance of business groupings emerged in todays press. Key importers, key exporters and key transport people all say there is nothing to fear and only benefit to gain from regaining our place in the world by moving on from the restrictive EU.

Tate and Lyle Sugars, one of Britain's oldest firms, has written to its 800 employees in support of leaving the European Union.  For those who know the sugar business this is not really a surprise.  

In his letter Senior VP, Gerard Mason said :  “Last year EU restrictions and tariffs pushed our raw material costs up by nearly 40m euros (£31m) alone, turning what should have been a good profit that we would all share into a 25m euros loss".

“We pay as much as 3.5m euros of import tariffs to the European Union on some of the boats of cane sugar that unload at our refinery, only for the European Union to then send that money to subsidise our beet sugar producing competitors in Europe.”

Mr Mason also claimed he had been told by EU officials "that if we lose our jobs then that's democracy because there are more beet producers than cane refiners in Europe”.

He surmised:  “That is not the sort of democracy I want to be part of”.

Then entrepreneur Sir James Dyson renewed his support for Brexit in a piece for The Times.

Sir James Dyson wrote: “I have been manufacturing and exporting globally for 46 years and have 'sat at the table' dealing with European bodies for at least 25 of those.”

“I can confirm that we have no influence whatsoever in the shaping of Europe's protectionist laws and regulations. Believe me, we've tried.”

“There is an entirely misplaced belief in the mythical powers of the single market and its influence and importance to the UK economy.”

“It is simply untrue that Europe is the world's largest market. It represents only 16% of global trade - and its share is contracting according to the IMF.”

“It remains a collection of smaller markets each with its own languages (Belgium has two), laws and cultures, with different plugs, boxes, and advertising.”

He added: “We have nothing to fear by leaving.”

Then a survey of Road Haulage Association members finds an overall majority of thier members in favour of Brexit.  And hauliers are the people who transport goods around the UK.  They provide the logistics that fill our supermarkets with fresh food every day. And they say it is time to return to the big wide world rather than stay in the restrictive EU.

Take a momnet to read the names of the people on the letter today from so called top business leaders, most of whom are hired guns rather than entrepreneurs like Dyson who have sunk their money into their business.  Can you see any in the list who are not beneficiaries of the great EU enterprise defeating machine?  I’m struggling.

So key importers, key exporters and key transport people all say there is nothing to fear by grabbing the oportunites of trading once again withteh world and only benefit to gain.  And why would that be?  Because they are businesses that are not beholden to the EU.  They see it as a burden.  The see the EU as a barrier to trade.

And they are right.  That's why they say vote Leave.