How our local MPs intend to vote in the EU referendum

RORY STEWART - MP for Penrith and the Border (Conservative)

The last 60 years have not been easy. When the European project was launched in the 1950s, we refused to join; and spent a decade waiting for the project to collapse. When it became clear that the collapse wasn’t coming, we applied for membership, only to be told we weren’t wanted. General de Gaulle argued Britain was not ready, because the British had not yet adjusted to the idea of being European, because we still saw ourselves as an island power, and because we were never going to accept the values of the community. So we invested the next ten years in trying to join a club that had rejected us as a member. And – once we were accepted – the following 40 years were spent wondering whether we had made a terrible mistake.

I had hoped that the referendum would give us the opportunity to finally make up our minds about Europe. Now, I realise I was overly optimistic. The last two months has taught me that whichever way we vote, Britain will probably always remain conflicted in our relationship to Europe. We are unlikely to ever have a clear decision or commitment, one way or another.

Personally, I have decided to vote to stay. I will do so because of things I care about in this constituency such as financial support for small farmers and the environment (90 per cent of our lamb exports go to Europe). I will also do so because of things I care about nationally, such as keeping Scotland in the Union. And I will do so because of things I care about outside Britain, such as European security. I find it better instinctively, as a rule of thumb, to build things together, rather than break them apart. But I have very close friends who disagree with me and who will be angry that I have written this, and will be voting to leave.

Ultimately, however, the point about a referendum is that my vote is worth no more or less than theirs. I am pleased that this is a referendum, not a vote in parliament.

DAVID MORRIS - MP for Morecambe & Lunesdale (Conservative)

I have decided to vote to remain a member of the European Union. This decision is not one I have taken lightly having always been a Eurosceptic but I believe that voting out would put jobs at risk. This vote is more than ideology and needs to be a decision made on fact and considered risk which puts the country first.

At the heart of my decision is my constituency and the jobs that the EU secures and provides. I have heard from the out campaign that other markets will step in and we can make deals with other countries after Brexit but I have not been convinced as the detail has not been forthcoming. I have not heard from anyone yet who can tell me what a post Brexit Britain will look like.

Our constituency of Morecambe and Lunesdale is currently prospering with an extremely low level of unemployment and this will be even lower when our link road is finished and more companies come into the area. Could we afford the likes of EDF to pull out of our power station when they have just agreed life extension? I don’t think that we could.

I am also gravely concerned for the financial state of our farming community in the Lune Valley should the country vote out. The basic payment scheme is a European grant paid to farmers based on the size of their land and is often a lifeline to farmers. If we were to exit Europe this scheme would not be available and would not necessarily be replaced and could lead to rural areas such as the Lune Valley losing farming as a vocation altogether.

I will not however be campaigning in the referendum as I believe that this is the people's referendum. I have had my say and it is now time for you to have yours. Back whichever side you think is right on June 23. Whatever your decision and regardless of the outcome I am proud to be part of a Government who have given my constituents that choice.

JOHN WOODCOCK - MP for Barrow and Furness (Labour)

It is just under a month until this country goes to the polls to make one of the most important decisions we will make for a generation. When we elect governments, we do so knowing we can kick them out in a few years if they fail, but there will be no patching up our marriage with Europe if we opt for the exit.

I still believe that leaving the EU would not be in our national interest, or the interest of our area. The official Treasury analysis shows that leaving the EU would have a catastrophic effect on our national finances, opening up a black hole that would cost each family around £4,300 and sending us into a recession which could last a year.

For a place like Cumbria, leaving might be especially damaging. In Furness we have innovative manufacturers and exporters who want to be connected to the UK biggest export market. We have the most beautiful tourist scenery in the country, bringing in people from across the continent. And let us not forget that cash from the EU solidarity fund is being used to help us recover from the recent floods.

All of this is on the ballot paper on June 23, but there is one thing that is not at stake and that is our patriotism. There seems to be this idea that leaving Europe somehow makes us more British, or even more English. Like in Scotland, where opponents of independence had their Scottishness called into question, so our referendum has caused politicians to scramble to wrap themselves in the flag.

This is not a decision about how British or how English we feel, it is about the best interests of our great country and the kind of inheritance we want to leave for our children and grandchildren. This decision should be made by calm heads and clear minds, not simply by those who shout the loudest. All of the bombast from the Leave side does not add up to a real plan. I am clear that the best interest of families in Cumbria and Britain lies in a vote for Remain.

TIM FARRON - MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale (Lib Dem)

“I’m going to vote to remain in Europe for my children and grandchildren”, a 97-year-old gentleman told me recently when I knocked on his door. He’s right – next month we have a huge decision to make about the nature of the country which we will pass on to the next generation.

Much of the debate so far in the media has centred around the economy – the fact that three million British jobs are dependent on trade with the EU and the massive uncertainty which Brexit would bring. And these are important points. Here in South Lakeland, Brexit would be devastating for local farmers that rely on the EU. Local businesses tell me they are worried about the impact which cutting ourselves off from the largest single market in the world would have.

But beyond simply this economic calculation, the issue at stake in this referendum is a far greater one – it’s about the sort of country we want to be.

A vote to remain in Europe is a vote for Britain as an outward-looking country that wants to lead on the world stage, rather than an isolated and inward-looking country.

In the globalised world of today, we must not turn our back on our friends, neighbours and allies. The biggest challenges we face – such as global climate change, international terrorism, and the refugee crisis – are issues that cross national borders. We cannot tackle these alone. The EU gives us a means of working alongside our friends and allies to tackle the issues that will define our future.

Rather like our own government, the EU is far from perfect. Like our own institutions, it is in need of reform. But for the sake of our children and their children, it is that we must do – Britain must step up and lead in Europe, not turn our backs and leave.

So I encourage local people to vote to remain in Europe – not just because we will be better off and safer, but because it is a vote about the sort of country which we want to pass on to future generations.