A group of FTSE 100 chairmen surveyed for a poll have overwhelmingly backed renegotiation of Britain’s relationship with the European Union, with many calling for economic and social power to be returned to nation states.

The survey, which covered one in three chairmen of the UK’s biggest companies, shows that disenchantment with the EU status quo stretches to the top of corporate Britain, although support for withdrawal from the bloc remains minimal.

Desire for reform runs deep although there are divisions about how far it should go. Chairmen want to see changes despite the nervousness many businesses feel about a referendum on UK membership.

More than four-fifths (81 per cent) of the FTSE 100 chairmen questioned by Korn Ferry, a leadership and talent consultancy, said they wanted to see Britain renegotiate its relationship with Brussels. Given a choice between renegotiating, staying in or leaving, only 15 per cent backed staying in no matter what happens.

– (Copyright The Financial Times Ltd 2014)