More than six in 10 UK businesses say they want the country to remain part of the European Union (EU), but many also want to renegotiate terms with the bloc.

Research by UK-based serviced office provider Business Environment revealed 61 per cent of bosses preferred membership of the EU to self-imposed exile.

Prime minister David Cameron has promised an “in-out” referendum on EU membership if the Conservative Party wins the next general election. The vote would take place in 2017.

According to the latest survey, only 17 per cent of businesses want to leave the European group of countries, while a quarter said they wanted to claw back certain powers from Brussels.

David Saul, managing director of Business Environment, said: “The EU has always been a double-edged sword for business. On the one hand it’s our biggest trading partner and the lack of tariffs make imports and exports very easy.

"On the other hand it can be a source of regulations that many businesspeople find frustrating or restrictive. But if Eurosceptics win out and we leave the Union, it is likely to anger large parts of the business community.”

Asked why they wanted to remain part of the EU, only 14 per cent said the primary reason was to improve relations with EU members, while just six per cent wanted more European integration – such as by adopting the euro.