It soon became apparent after my election that our Country will never be able to compete again fully on the World stage unless we free ourselves fron the clutches of the European Union (EU).  It was for this reason I joined the  Better Off Out Group in Parliament a  Group which I was elected Chairman of a few months ago.

It is by no means only supporters of UKIP who believe we would be better off outside the EU. I believe there are millions of supporters in all the other parties who think the same. We have known for some time that the Prime Minister has been planning a major speech setting out his view for the way forward on our relationship with the EU and yesterday he announced in the Commons he expects to make the speech next month.

We already know alot of what the Prime Minister thinks. Like me he wants to see powers retrieved from the European Union. I wish him well in his efforts. I would encourage him to go further and negotiate a much looser relationship with the EU. ‘Yes’ to trade. ‘No’ to the EU trying to tell this Country what to do. We should not have to pay billions of pounds every year simply to have the right to sell our goods into other EU countries.

The suggestion which is always made whenever anyone raises the question of the UK leaving the EU is that we would lose millions of jobs. No evidence is ever produced and in any event no one ever considers how much better British Companies will do in selling their goods and services to the rest of the World when they are not burdened by EU rules and regulations. Furthermore the rest of the EU export more to us than we do to them so they have no reason to exclude us from their markets. Why would our European neighbours want to prevent us from selling our goods and services to them. I have never suggested any form of measures to protect British Companies from imports. I think we should make it as easy as possible for countries who want to trade with us to sell us their goods and likewise we shoula then have the same rights to sell to them. There is no need for a huge bureaucracy just a simple free trade agreement.