Zoroastrians Abroad
Divisive decision
"We have been in the European Union (EU) but not in the euro; we have been in the EU but not in Schengen. We pour our beer in pints, because we choose to, and we measure our roads in miles, not kilometers, because we choose to,” remarked Lord Karan Bilimoria (pictured) of Chelsea in his speech in the UK Parliament on July 5, 2016 in the aftermath of the June 23 referendum on 
Britain’s exit from the EU which he described not as "independence day for Britain; it was the day the UK shot itself in the foot.”
The 52% vote in favor of Britain leaving the EU is "a selfish, irresponsible and narrow-minded decision” that will not fulfill the slogan of "Let us take back control,” Bilimoria was sanguine. "We’ve actually lost control and we are going to lose more control…The referendum is advisory and yet of our represented politicians in Westminster, two-thirds of the House of Commons and the overwhelming majority of the House of Lords are pro-remain, all adding to the complexity and uncertainty and turmoil,” he explained.
Britain’s exit from the EU which he described not as "independence day for Britain; it was the day the UK shot itself in the foot.”The 52% vote in favor of Britain leaving the EU is "a selfish, irresponsible and narrow-minded decision” that will not fulfill the slogan of "Let us take back control,” Bilimoria was sanguine. "We’ve actually lost control and we are going to lose more control…The referendum is advisory and yet of our represented politicians in Westminster, two-thirds of the House of Commons and the overwhelming majority of the House of Lords are pro-remain, all adding to the complexity and uncertainty and turmoil,” he explained.
A month prior at the House of Lords debate on the Queen’s speech on May 23, Bilimoria had remarked unequivocally, "In spite of being a Eurosceptic I believe that we should stay in the EU…There is no question but that the UK economy and our international standing would take a severe blow should we vote to leave the UK… The EU accounts for 44% of our exports and 55% of our imports, but in contrast, only eight percent of the EU’s (total) exports head to the UK…The IMF (International Monetary Fund), the CBI (Confederation of British Industry) and the Bank of England have all urged the UK not to leave…”
Being the chancellor of the University of Birmingham and chair of the advisory board of the Cambridge Judge Business School, Bilimoria was concerned that leaving the EU would imply losing "a vast amount of research and development funding… Almost 1,000 projects at 78 UK universities and research centers benefit from funds from the European Research Council.” As he further revealed, 74% of the 18 to 24-year-olds voted to remain in the EU while an overwhelming majority of those aged 50+ opted to leave.
"The majority of red tape and barriers in this country come from ourselves through our tax system, planning and housing laws; not from the EU. Many EU directives have in fact been good for this country. We are one of the most open and flexible economies in the world where, in 26 years of building a brand (Cobra) from scratch, I have never come across corruption. An open economy has enabled me to build a household name and a growing global brand, thanks to this country, not because of any EU red tape.”
Post referendum, Bilimoria commented, "We have been a big fish in a small pond; now we are a tiddler in a giant ocean... Migration became the number one issue in the referendum and yet ironically Britain has today virtually full employment in practical terms.” He was particularly critical of Vote Leave’s "biggest lie” that "£350 million that we give to the EU every week…would be saved by leaving the EU and put into the NHS (National Health Service) to improve its services.” Clarified Bilimoria, "In reality, this £350 million per week is a gross contribution. We receive a rebate of almost £200 million, which equates to a net contribution per annum of eight billion pounds…that makes barely one percent of our annual government expenditure of over £770 billion… We send over £12 billion of aid per year around the world; this is more than 50% higher than our net contribution to the EU! I would pay the eight billion every year to the EU just for the peace and stability that the EU, along with NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation), has brought to Europe that the UK has benefited from for the past seven decades.”
Being the chancellor of the University of Birmingham and chair of the advisory board of the Cambridge Judge Business School, Bilimoria was concerned that leaving the EU would imply losing "a vast amount of research and development funding… Almost 1,000 projects at 78 UK universities and research centers benefit from funds from the European Research Council.” As he further revealed, 74% of the 18 to 24-year-olds voted to remain in the EU while an overwhelming majority of those aged 50+ opted to leave.
"The majority of red tape and barriers in this country come from ourselves through our tax system, planning and housing laws; not from the EU. Many EU directives have in fact been good for this country. We are one of the most open and flexible economies in the world where, in 26 years of building a brand (Cobra) from scratch, I have never come across corruption. An open economy has enabled me to build a household name and a growing global brand, thanks to this country, not because of any EU red tape.”Post referendum, Bilimoria commented, "We have been a big fish in a small pond; now we are a tiddler in a giant ocean... Migration became the number one issue in the referendum and yet ironically Britain has today virtually full employment in practical terms.” He was particularly critical of Vote Leave’s "biggest lie” that "£350 million that we give to the EU every week…would be saved by leaving the EU and put into the NHS (National Health Service) to improve its services.” Clarified Bilimoria, "In reality, this £350 million per week is a gross contribution. We receive a rebate of almost £200 million, which equates to a net contribution per annum of eight billion pounds…that makes barely one percent of our annual government expenditure of over £770 billion… We send over £12 billion of aid per year around the world; this is more than 50% higher than our net contribution to the EU! I would pay the eight billion every year to the EU just for the peace and stability that the EU, along with NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation), has brought to Europe that the UK has benefited from for the past seven decades.”
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From the archive