The vast majority of tech companies in the UK wish to remain in the EU and believe a June 23 Brexit vote damages London’s reputation as a “world-leading technology hub.”
According to numbers from Tech London Advocates, a network of around 2,500 technology professionals, 87 percent of advocates wish to remain in the EU, and 74 percent believe Brexit would make it harder for London tech firms to attract investment. According to the survey, 70 percent believe Brexit would damage London’s reputation as a “world-leading technology hub.”
Research from the trade group, techUK, also concluded that a vote to leave the EU could have major ramifications for the tech industry. Some tech leaders expressed concerns that an exit could reduce trade potential and limit access to skilled labor from within the EU. A poll of techUK members conducted in March found that 70 percent of techUK’s members supported the UK remaining in the EU, 15 percent supported the UK leaving the EU and 15 percent responded that they did not know.
Those who wished to remain in the UK said that EU membership makes the UK more attractive to international investment, it gives companies a better deal on trading relationships within the EU, and it makes the UK more globally competitive.
The 15 percent who favored exiting the EU cited that UK companies would have more flexibility in a global economy and that exiting would give the UK a better deal in its relationships with the rest of the world
One App developer, Rich Pleeth who founded an app that shows which friends are nearby, said that investment was being jeopardized for some by the possibility of Britain leaving the EU next week. Pleeth told the Evening Standard that his company had a German investor withdraw because of the referendum.
Voters in the UK will decide June 23 whether or not to leave the European Union in a referendum that will have far-reaching consequences in Europe and around the world.
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