Instead of debate, it’s the politics of fear

EUROSCEPTICS are constantly accused by the liberal establishment of attempting to exploit fears over spiralling migration to frighten British voters into pulling out of the EU.

Bizarrely, the Prime Minister stood accused yesterday of using exactly the same tactic to frighten them into staying in. Mr Cameron made the extraordinary claim that if we leave, the French will throw open their borders and wave tens of thousands of migrants straight through the Channel tunnel to Folkestone.

This massive influx, he said, would result in camps similar to the notorious tented city in Calais known as the Jungle springing up all over the South of England.

But isn’t this a transparent piece of scaremongering?

Firstly, our border arrangements with France have nothing to do with the EU, so would be unchanged by a British exit. Under a bilateral treaty between sovereign nations, our frontier post is currently located on the French side of the tunnel and French customs and immigration officers are based in Kent.

This enables both countries to identify and vet travellers before they set off – a security measure as crucial to France as it is to Britain in these days of murderous Islamic extremism. Even the French interior ministry says scrapping the arrangement would be ‘a foolhardy path’ and one they ‘would not pursue’.

And as for the prospect of camps, most migrants have taken months, if not years to reach Calais, with the sole aim of getting into Britain. Once here, they either immediately claim asylum – like the Sudanese man who walked through the tunnel – or simply disappear into London’s thriving black economy. Why on earth would they hang around in shanty towns kicking their heels? And why would the authorities allow such camps to exist?

So there we have it. It’s patently obvious the ‘In’ campaigners are using bogus scare tactics to suggest that quitting the EU would leave us isolated and dangerously exposed in a hostile world.

The strategy has been labelled ‘Project Fear’ and it’s gathering pace.

We’ve already been warned that leaving would make us more vulnerable to terrorism, the pound would collapse and every British family would be up to £3,000 a year worse off – all unsupported and highly dubious claims.

To its shame, the ‘stay’ lobby has advanced precious few positive reasons for sticking with Brussels. Is that because they’re having trouble finding them?