East Midlands Euro candidate says pulling out of EU would devastate the region

ISSAN GHAZNI - a European parliamentary candidate - has said that a new report warning that the Midlands would be hit hardest if Britain quit the EU showed why voters should support the pro-European Liberal Democrat in May's election.

A study by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) found that between 2009 - 2011 the East Midlands were the region with the highest reliance on EU exports with almost one in six jobs associated with demand from the EU.

The Cebr report calculated that 4.2 million jobs across Britain were tied to trade with Europe. Ghazni said that 337,000 jobs in the East Midlands - which rely on EU trade - would be at risk if UKIP and the Conservative Right had their way and pulled Britain out of the EU.

Ghazni said: "This new research shows why it is so important for people in the East Midlands to vote Lib Dem. We are the only party fighting to stay in Europe to protect jobs.

"As we've seen from the report, the East Midlands relies more heavily on EU trade than any other region. If Nigel Farage and many in David Cameron's party had their way we would lose all of this."

If Britain went for a clean break from the EU, its exports would be subject to EU export tariffs and would still have to meet EU production standards.

Millions of jobs could be lost as global manufacturers move to lower-cost EU countries, including Hyundai, who have a base in Corby, and Toyota, who run a plant just outside Derby.