THE men behind Poole’s two most globally famous brand names have warned against Britain leaving the European Union.

Mark Constantine, co-founder and managing director of Lush, has warned the cosmetics company may have to move parts of its local business abroad if Britain voted to quit the EU.

Meanwhile, Chinese billionaire Wang Jianlin – chairman of the group which owns luxury boat builder Sunseeker – has warned that the UK “can’t go it alone”.

Britain will vote on June 23 on whether to stay in the European Union after David Cameron renegotiated the terms of its membership.

Lush recently revealed it was opening a factory in Dusseldorf, Germany, to "ease the pressure" on its Poole operation after its brand turnover grew by 33 per cent in 2013-15.

Mr Constantine, who co-founded Lush in Poole High Street 21 years ago, said in a statement: “For exporters like Lush, being in Europe is very important.

“Should Britain come out of Europe, it would put a lot of pressure on us to move parts of our business that are currently in Poole into countries that are part of the EU.

“For that reason alone, we will be voting to stay in Europe.”

Wang Jianlin is chairman of the Dalian Wanda Group, the commercial property conglomerate which bought Sunseeker in 2013.

He gave a lecture at Oxford University and was asked afterwards about the possibility of ‘Brexit’.

The 61-year-old, said to be the richest man in China, said: “This is just my opinion, I could be wrong. But I think the UK won’t leave the EU.

“Historically, the UK was always part of Europe. There’s a historic and cultural connection, and in a globalised economy the UK can’t go it alone.

“It’s hard to say whether they would have a better life outside of it. The most important thing is that it’s easy to exit but hard to re-join. There are certainly many disadvantages if Britain exited the EU.”

Simon Boyd, a director at Reidsteel in Christchurch and chair of Business for Britain South West, said: “Far from making it harder to export, leaving the EU would make it easier for us. Leaving the EU would also enable British businesses to be more competitive in the UK.

“Our membership of this union has been damaging to British businesses and their staff; we are over-regulated and are forced to accept badly thought-out directives and regulations that are decided upon by unelected commissioners and their bureaucrats."

Barclays has also added its voice to those calling for Britain to stay in the European Union.

It says leaving the EU would leave its customers worse off.

Chief executive Jes Staley, who joined the bank in December after a long career with JP Morgan, said: “We believe staying in the EU is best for our consumers and corporate clients.

“Having unfettered access to the great economies of Europe anchors some significant benefits for the UK.”

Chairman John McFarlane said the UK and international economy was “enhanced” by Britain staying put.

He said the bank was also pressing the case to stay in because of the key services it offers European companies from London.

He added: “We are heavily reliant on a successful UK domestic and international economy and feel this is enhanced through the UK’s membership.”

Barclays’ stance will be seen as a boost for David Cameron who is campaigning for Britain to remain in the EU ahead of the referendum on Thursday, June 23.

The Prime Minister has already won support from corporate heavyweights such as Shell, BAE Systems, BT and Rio Tinto.

Insurer Legal & General said it had not taken a view on whether Britain should stay in Europe, but said the current economic case for leaving was “unproven”.