Britain can survive outside EU: PM Cameron

Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron gestures as he speaks at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) annual conference in London, Britain November 9, 2015.[Photo/Agencies]

LONDON -- British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Monday that he had "no emotional attachment" to the institutions of the European Union (EU) and wanted to "debunk" the idea Britain could not survive outside the EU.

Addressing the annual conference of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), he said he is not satisfied with the status quo and Britain had to renegotiate its deal with Europe.

If he gets the changes he wants, Cameron said he will campaign "vigorously" to stay in the EU. If not, he said he will "rule nothing out".

Cameron said it will be "difficult and hard" but he believed that he can convince the EU's other 27 states to commit to irreversible and legally-binding commitments before the British public go to the polls.

Cameron's speech was heckled by two anti-EU young men who suddenly stood up holding up a banner saying "CBI=Voice of Brussels" and chanted slogans lambasting the organization for what they claim is a pro-EU stance.

The two teenagers were moved from the meeting hall shortly.

"Whilst there's no uniform views on the subject, neither within the CBI, nor among the wider business community, the majority of CBI members want to remain in a reformed EU," said Paul Drechsler, CBI president.

CBI is one of the British leading independent employers' organization, representing 140 trade associations, alongside larger and medium-sized businesses who tend to join the CBI directly.