16.06.16
Core Cities leaders warn of ‘grave threat’ of Brexit
With a week to go to the referendum on the UK’s membership of the European Union and the polls favouring victory for the Leave campaign, the leaders of the UK’s major cities have repeated their warning that leaving could harm the economy.
Core Cities, a group consisting of mayors and council leaders in Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield, first came out in favour of remaining in the EU in March.
They have now signed a new letter warning that “leaving would be a grave threat to our local economies, risking people's jobs and livelihoods”.
"If we vote for Brexit, it will be those at the sharp end – working people, not the leaders of the leave campaign, who will pay the price,” they added. “A vote for Remain is a vote for prosperity and progress for Britain's cities.
“A vote to leave is a vote for serious economic danger. It is simply not worth the risk.”
They said EU membership has created 63,000 jobs, protected 16,800 and provided £1.8bn of infrastructure investment.
A report from the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy also found that 19 out of 20 public sector leaders backed staying in the EU.
The latest Ipsos MORI poll has 53% of voters saying they support leaving the EU.
But Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the Vote Leave campaign, accused Core Cities of “recycling” its previous claims and said: “The truth is that the UK's cities have prospered in spite of our EU membership, not because of it.”
He repeated the claim that the NHS and public sector lose £350m a week because of Britain’s contributions to the EU.
Dr Sarah Wollaston MP, chair of the Health Committee, switched sides from the Leave campaign to Remain after saying that the £350m claim wasn’t true, as reported in PSE’s sister title National Health Executive.
(Image c. Core Cities)
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