Britain ‘will thrive after Brexit’
Leaving will boost pay and jobs, says Tory high-flier
WAGES will rise and unemployment will fall if Britain leaves the EU and regains control of its borders, an ex-Treasury minister and Tory rising star declares today.
In a powerful intervention that will rattle No 10, Andrea Leadsom says the UK’s ‘best days lie ahead of us’ if the public ignores the doom-mongers and breaks free of the shackles imposed by Brussels.
Mrs Leadsom, an energy minister tipped as a future leader, said the reason many big businesses were backing the Remain camp is because they want to keep down the pay of British workers.
In an article in today’s Mail, she writes: ‘To my mind it is totally unacceptable that big businesses have, for more than a decade, been holding down the wages of UK workers by employing more and more EU migrant labour. If you are unemployed or low-paid it is clear you would benefit from Britain leaving the EU.’
She also urged older voters to vote Leave so their children and grandchildren can
shape their own destiny – free from a sclerotic, over-bearing Brussels machine which is holding small businesses and the economy back. In another highly charged day in the increasingly bitter referendum debate:
David Cameron finally ordered the release of National Insurance numbers which could reveal the true extent of mass immigration to Britain;
The PM made an extraordinary defence of his handling of the EU debate – blaming the media for a slew of bad headlines;
Cabinet Minister Priti Patel said EU membership was putting ‘unsustainable’ pressure on the NHS;
The latest opinion poll gives Leave a four-point lead. In her exclusive article, Mrs Leadsom dismisses warnings from a succession of ministers that Britain’s economy will be imperilled if the country votes out on June 23.
Her intervention is hugely significant because she spent more than a year working for Chancellor George Osborne as Economic Secretary in the run-up to last year’s election, before moving to be minister of state at the Department for Energy.
Mrs Leadsom also enjoyed a successful career in the City before entering Parliament – making her well placed to rebut claims from the Prime Minister and others that the safe economic option is to stay inside the EU.
Mrs Leadsom said the future for Britain outside of the EU – and the ability to control its own borders – was overwhelmingly positive.
She writes: ‘ The EU’s cherished freedom of movement for people within its borders puts enormous strain on our NHS, our education and our housing.
‘When you are trying to get your children into a school, when you struggle to arrange a doctor or hospital appointment, or when you are trying to get on the housing ladder, you will benefit from leaving the EU because our
country will be able to regain control over migration.’ Mrs Leadsom also challenges headon a controversial claim by Education Secretary Nicky Morgan that older voters have a duty to vote In. In a speech last week, Mrs Morgan said it would be young people who would suffer most if the UK left the EU, adding: ‘If parents and grandparents vote to leave, they’ll be voting to gamble with their children and grandchildren’s future.’ Mrs Leadsom responds: ‘The gift of restoring sovereignty to future generations is one I think pensioners would be proud to grant, confident as they are in our great country and optimistic about our ability to succeed in the wider world.’ Her comments came as the Leave campaign opened up a four-point lead in the referendum contest, according to the latest poll. The Out camp is on 43 per cent, compared to 39 per cent for remain. Some 18 per cent of voters told an Opinium poll for the Observer they were undecided.
‘Regain control over migration’