British businesses back CBI lobby group after harassment scandal

THE Confederation of British Industry (CBI) won the support of 93 per cent of members who voted in Tuesday’s (Jun 6) poll to decide its future, as the scandal-hit lobby group fights for survival.

The CBI, which was at risk of imminent collapse if it lost the vote, had asked its members to support a reform programme aimed at winning back trust. Dozens of the UK’s biggest companies suspended their membership or quit the group entirely following allegations of sexual assault among its staff.

The CBI has about 1,500 direct members but claims to speak for 190,000 businesses – mostly through trade associations. The CBI said there were 371 votes in total with 23 abstentions. Some 93 per cent of voters said they agreed that the changes the CBI had made, and the commitments that had been set out to reform its governance, culture and purpose gave them the confidence they needed to support the CBI.

Rain Newton-Smith, director general of the CBI, said after the meeting in a statement that she was “deeply grateful” for the “faith shown in us by our members.”

“We’ve made real progress in implementing the top-to-bottom programme of change promised by the board and, while there remains work to do, today’s result represents an important milestone on that journey,” she said. BLOOMBERG