Partner Article

EU demand driving £211 billion of UK income - what does the North East think?

A new piece of research commissioned by the pro-EU group British Influence suggests that in 2011 some £211 billion of income in the UK was associated with EU demand.

Some of the major North East industrial players have weighed into the Europe debate over the last six months. Nissan bosses in Japan expressed concern about how a British exit would impact their access to European markets, and Teesside’s Tata Steel said it would leave the UK isolated.

Regional MEP Fiona Hall also highlighted the potential jobs impact to the region, and the North East Chamber of Commerce have previously said the North East’s exporting pedigree would likely be damaged - although reforms were necessary.

This most recent research was caveated by British Influence director, Peter Wilding: “It would be absurd to claim that all that would evaporate overnight if we were to withdraw from the EU. But it would surely be an act of madness to jeopardise economic reality based on facts in favour of little more than a pipe dream of alternative trading relationships articulated by those who propose that we should walk away.”

The report seems to play to the polarised “in-out” lines of debate, but the arguement elsewhere has advanced beyond this. I’d be interested to know what Bdaily readers think in the comments below.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .