CBI chief to 'fight' for the organisation

CRUNCH VOTE THIS WEEK OVER THE FUTURE OF LOBBY GROUP

- 

THE head of a leading British business lobby group said she will “fight for the organisation” ahead of a crunch vote this week.

Rain Newton-Smith, who became director-general of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) last month, will face a crunch vote tomorrow (Tuesday) when members decide whether they have confidence in the business body.

Members will vote on a new prospectus, which includes appointing a new president and giving members an annual vote on the make-up of its board, following claims of sexual harassment at the CBI made by more than a dozen women, with two separate allegations of rape.

Firms, including NatWest, Mastercard, ITV, and AstraZeneca, among other leading companies across different sectors, have left the CBI since April, when the sexual harassment claims were first widely reported.