The Prime Minister has now called the EU Referendum for the 23rd June 2016, fulfilling the manifesto commitment we campaigned on last year – and delivering on something I have called for since I was elected in 2010.
I have decided that I will be campaigning to Leave the European Union in that Referendum.
Many will know I have long held concerns over the level of immigration and our inability to control it. Nothing in the recent renegotiation deal suggests to me that we can get anywhere near our pledge of reducing this to the tens of thousands without leaving the EU. In many ways though, more importantly, there has been no reform which ensures the ultimate sovereignty of the UK Parliament and therefore democratic accountability to the people of the UK for decisions taken in their name.
I strongly believe that, as the 5th largest economy in the world, freed of EU restrictions and able to retake our place on the global stage as an open, free-trading nation, we can ensure greater prosperity in the long term for our country. In the short term we will save £10 billion a year in our net contributions to the EU, which will greatly help measures to tackle our deficit.
Please do contact me if you have any questions, in the usual ways and by emailing nigel@nigelmillsmp.com.