UKIP takes lead in Accountancy Age's online EU Debate
Plenty of votes cast already, for both UKIP and Business for New Europe, as our EU Debate enters its next phase
UKIP’s Tim Congdon has got off to a strong start in the voting for Accountancy Age’s online Debate on whether the UK will be better off staying in the EU.
The Debate proposal is that ‘Leaving the EU would damage the UK economy’. The proposer for this Debate is Business for New Europe director Phillip Souta, with Congdon opposing his view. With 200 votes cast during the first day of the Debate, Congdon polled 61% of the votes.
Congdon argued that the fund transfers made from the UK to the EU far outweighed any economic benefit.
“Britain should leave the European Union for a simple reason, that membership makes us worse-off. It makes us worse-off financially, economically and politically,” stated Congdon.
Souta claimed that leaving the EU would jeopardise the 49% of foreign direct investment in the UK that comes from EU countries. The UK could also lose a large number of foreign companies based in the UK looking to access the EU.
“The EU is the foundation of our shared economic future and leaving would damage the UK economy for many years to come,” stated Souta.
The Debate moves on today, with ‘guest speaker’ Mark Gregory, chief economist at Ernst & Young, adding his thoughts.