PwC welcomed the Prime Minister, David Cameron, to its Birmingham office on Tuesday 5th April. He spoke on the UK's position within the EU and hosted a question and answer session with hundreds of PwC employees. During his opening remarks to PwC staff, the Prime Minister stressed the importance of the EU referendum for a whole generation and said that a vote to leave would create a great deal of uncertainty for UK business for an extended period of time.

Mr Cameron responded to questions from PwC staff on a variety of topics, including the region’s automotive sector and support for the West Midlands Combined Authority and the Midlands Engine.  He also highlighted that membership of the EU provides access to a market of over 500m people for West Midlands businesses and enhances opportunities for graduates and apprentices to develop their careers beyond the UK.

Mark Smith, partner at PwC in the Midlands, said: “We were delighted to welcome the Prime Minister to our Birmingham office. It was a fantastic opportunity for our staff to put their questions to him and hear his views. This is an exciting time for PwC in Birmingham with the recent announcement that we are the first business to sign up to Birmingham City Centre’s £500 million, transformational Paradise development."

“So we were really pleased to be able to show off the city to the Prime Minister and highlight the importance of the business and professional services sector in the region." The Prime Minister’s visit to PwC in Birmingham followed an article in the Telegraph by five business leaders including Ian Powell, PwC UK’s Senior Partner and Chairman, that outlined the importance of the European Referendum to the UK’s future prosperity.

Ian Powell, chairman and senior partner of PwC UK, said:  “While we do not believe that big business should be telling people how to vote, it should be helping to provide impartial information into the debate. Our economics and policy consulting team has been analysing the potential implications of the referendum on our firm and the professional and business services sector. The analysis shows that although there would be an initial boom for professional services in the event of a Brexit, in the long term, we could see a fall in professional services exports, reducing the contribution of the sector to the UK economy."

“Consequently, our view is that remaining in Europe will provide more opportunities for accessing and retaining talent, developing our people and growing our business.”