The finance chiefs of Britain's biggest companies are to declare that a decision for the UK to leave the European Union (EU) would jeopardise business stability and international trading relationships.
Sky News understands that the Hundred Group, whose members are the finance directors of Britain's biggest listed and private companies, will take a public position on the forthcoming referendum on Friday.
A survey conducted by the group has found that a narrow majority - 53% - are in favour of remaining in the EU, with 20% holding a neutral view.
None of the respondents to the survey expressed a view in support of Brexit.
The Hundred Group is expected to publish the results of its survey later on Friday, and will cite stability, maintaining a political influence in the EU and key trading arrangements as the principal reasons for wanting to stay in the union.
Simon Dingemans, chairman of the Hundred Group and GlaxoSmithKline's chief financial officer, said his peers had "real concerns about the potential implications of a Brexit for their businesses and also importantly for consumers".
"In every sector there are implications from energy pricing to the services sector and the automobile and aerospace industries.
“Finance directors are also concerned about the potential instability for businesses that would follow a Brexit, particularly in relation to our trading relationships and long-term attractiveness of the UK.”
Pro-Brexit campaigners are likely to respond to the survey by pointing out that only 53% of the group's members backed remaining in the EU in a corporate capacity - a figure which hardly constitutes an overwhelming majority.
The figure rose to 60% when respondents answered in a personal capacity.
The results of the survey are also expected to show that roughly one-third of the companies have attempted to quantify the impact of Brexit on their business, with the range of estimated costs varying from "no significant impact to hundreds of millions of pounds".
The Hundred Group did not disclose the identities of those businesses which estimates the highest costs.
The survey comes in the wake of difficult experiences for other business organisations ahead of the referendum.
John Longworth resigned as director-general of the British Chambers of Commerce after expressing a pro-Brexit opinion, and subsequently took on a key position in Vote Leave, the official group campaigning for Brexit.
The CBI, Britain's biggest employers' group, has also been attacked by those lobbying for the UK to leave after publishing a number of surveys showing that the majority of its members favoured remaining in the EU.
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