The final polls before the EU referendum show a race going down to the wire, with the Remain and Leave camps neck and neck.
In an online poll carried out by Opinium, the Leave camp is shown to have a one percent lead 45-44, while an online poll by SurveyMonkey has Remain with a small lead 50-47.
The race is considered too close to call by most pollsters, with the bookies offering odds of 1/3 for Remain and 3/1 for Leave, the closest they have been throughout the four-month campaign.
Meanwhile, the two campaigns have made their final efforts to convince the British public to support their vision for the future.
The letter said:
“We know our firms are stronger in Europe. Our reasons are straightforward: businesses and their employees benefit massively from being able to trade inside the world’s largest single market without barriers.
“Even those that want Britain to leave say that, in the short-term, Brexit would lead to economic uncertainty and would put jobs at risk.
“Britain leaving the EU would mean uncertainty for our firms, less trade with Europe and fewer jobs.
“Britain remaining in the EU would mean the opposite – more certainty, more trade and more jobs. EU membership is good for business and good for British jobs. That’s why, on 23 June, we back Britain remaining in the EU.”
The letter said:
“As Vice-Chancellors of 103 universities, we are gravely concerned about the impact of a UK exit from the EU on our universities and students.
“The impact of our universities on our local communities and economy should not be underestimated. Every year, universities generate over £73 billion for the UK economy – £3.7bn of which is generated by students from EU countries, while supporting nearly 380,000 jobs. Strong universities benefit the British people – creating employable graduates and cutting-edge research discoveries that improve lives.
“Our membership of the EU enhances this positive impact and makes our outstanding universities even stronger. Inside the EU, we are better able to work collaboratively on ground-breaking research in areas from cancer to climate change. EU membership supports British universities to attract the brightest and best minds from across Europe, enhancing university research and teaching and contributing to economic growth.
“Voluntarily cutting ourselves out of the world’s largest economic bloc would undermine our position as a global leader in science and innovation, impoverish our campuses and limit opportunities for British people.
“We believe that leaving Europe would create a difficult environment for the long-term investment in higher education and research that is necessary for the UK to maintain its position as a highly skilled and a globally competitive knowledge economy.
“For us it is crystal clear that our outstanding universities – and our students – are stronger in Europe.”
Elsewhere, prominent Leave campaigner Michael Gove has apologised for comparing economic experts warning against Brexit to Nazis. He had previously dismissed the warnings about Brexit from an overwhelming number of experts from the worlds of business and academia, saying “the people of this country have had enough of experts”.
