Investors are increasingly concerned Britain may leave the EU.

Ian Robinson the co owner of a small London investment firm is watching the general elections in Britain this week with a dose of uncertainty. A victory for David Cameron’s Conservative Party could bring Britain even closer to leaving the European Union of 28 nations. Many companies fear that if Britain makes this move the impact could be quite large for them as the costs of doing business on the continent will increase and this may erode the role of London as a global financial hub. It is Robinson’s point of view that leaving the European Union will make even the simplest things for business much more difficult in Britain. He says that this will force him to seek business licenses for each country rather than just getting a permit from the regulators in Britain.

“Leaving the European Union will cause a disaster in Britain,” stated Robinson at the offices of Kinson Capital Ltd. This office provides advisory services and manages assets for hedge funds and banks. “A lot of businesses and financial services work on the passport of the European Union,” he added. The current Prime Minister, David Cameron has promised that he will hold a referendum on Britain’s membership in the European Union during 2017 as he is looking to compete with the Independence Party (UKIP) which insists on Britain leaving the bloc so it can deal with immigration problems and return the power of decision making to Britain from Brussels. While most of the campaigns are focusing on issues like health care and economy, the uncertainty around Britain’s possible exit from the bloc is a worry for many as it may cause trouble for financial markets and investors. “The possibility of Britain exiting the Union is currently the biggest problem for investors,” said Daniel Vernazza who is an economist at UniCredit Bank. “The conservatives have promised a referendum at the end of 2017, and this could mean that the uncertainty may last for a few years.”

The elections are getting closer each day and even if Cameron wins he may not be able to get the majority of votes needed to hold a referendum about the membership of the EU. However as long as there is no clarity on the issue this will be a constant worry for investors and businesses, and it may take some time until this changes.