The big EU debate: What does your MP think?

When David Cameron promised that a future Conservative majority government would offer the people a vote on Britain's membership of the EU in 2013, he was probably banking on the country staying in.

Firstly, he probably thought it was a promise he would never be in a position to deliver. At the time – indeed right up until election day – all the opinion polls pointed to an extremely close election, with another hung parliament looking inevitable. Had the Prime Minister found himself in another coalition with the staunchly pro-Europe Liberal Democrats, the referendum would surely have been the first thing to go.

• Scroll down to see what our region's six MPs have to say on the EU

And secondly, while there has been no shortage of eurosceptic sentiment in Britain over the past few years, Mr Cameron probably assumed that, with a few carefully choreographed negotiations, the British people could easily be persuaded to remain within the EU.

• Open borders: As long as we are a member of the European Union, the UK is forced to maintain open borders to 27 EU states which provides the opportunity for over 450 million people to claim a right to settle in the UK. A vast influx of unskilled labour from Eastern Europe does not benefit ordinary Shropshire people, who see their wages undercut and their jobs put at risk. I support a controlled Australian-style points based system which can only be implemented if the UK leaves the EU.

• We’ll save money: A recent Business for Britain survey concluded that if Britain left the EU, every Shropshire household would be £933 better off per year, ranging from cheaper clothing and food to lower council taxes. To put it bluntly, we put more into the EU than we get out of it. By paying over £50 million a day to the EU and receiving only a small percentage in return, we are surrendering taxpayers’ money when public services in Britain are at breaking point.

• Threat to our NHS: The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership – known as TTIP – was created to reduce the regulatory barriers for big business. TTIP will adversely hit farmers, the National Health Service and small business the hardest. It is a lobbyist’s dream that could change the NHS as we know it, because TTIP’s main aim is to open up Europe’s public healthcare systems to private companies. Staggeringly, it was negotiated behind closed doors by unelected bureaucrats.

• Workers’ rights: The EU has long claimed to promote workers’ rights in Britain for both our skilled and unskilled workforces. However, it is clear the EU has not protected them at all. That is why unions such as Unite have said they would “recommend leaving the European Union if David Cameron gives away workers’ rights in his renegotiation with Brussels”. Unite believes that if the UK withdraws from the EU, all workers’ rights legislation would be accountable to the national parliament.

• Our democracy: The UK has a proud democratic history, from Magna Carta to the Reform Act. All people over 18 now have the power through the ballot box to exercise their democratic right. However, this changed in 1973 when Britain joined the Common Market, which is now known as the EU. Now, unelected commissioners and bureaucrats create about 70 per cent of British legislation, not elected representatives from each member state. This is not how democracy works.

• Choice over trade: It is becoming increasingly clear that a ‘Brexit’ would not harm Britain’s ability to trade at all.We have the fifth largest economy, a huge trade surplus with the EU and the world’s financial capital in London. Simply put, the EU needs us more than we need them. By joining the European Free Trade Association, we will be able to negotiate our own trade treaties with non EU-countries. We would also be able to regain full membership of the World Trade Organisation.

What a difference two years makes. Now with a working majority firmly under his belt, the EU Referendum Bill was among the first measures to be announced at the start of the new Parliament, with the Government now committed to holding the vote by the end of 2017. And if Mr Cameron thought, when push came to shove, most people would prefer the certainty of remaining within the EU, it looks like he could be in for a nervous couple of years.

Two polls last week revealed that the mood in Britain was slowly edging towards the exit door, with the outcome at the moment too close to call. The one, conducted by ICM, gave those campaign to say in the EU a three per cent lead over those wanting to leave. The other, conducted for the Mail on Sunday, showed a two-per cent lead for the "out" campaign, with 17 per cent of the population still to make up their minds.

The ICM poll is interesting in that it is the company's first since the referendum question was changed at the start of the month. It suggests that there has been a significant fall in support for EU membership since the question was changed, with the "yes" camp having an 11 per cent lead before the poll. The election of Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader also adds a new dimension.

While Ed Miliband's Labour Party was fiercely pro-EU, being vehemently opposed to the referendum in the first place, many were expecting Mr Corbyn to take a much more eurosceptic stance.

This prediction gained added traction when Labour rising star Chuka Ummuna quit the front bench, reportedly over the new leaders lack of commitment to Europe.

However, a joint statement issued by Mr Corbyn and shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn appears to have put paid to this line of thought, with the pair both appearing committed to Britain's membership of the EU, regardless of the terms negotiated by the Prime Minister.

They said: "Labour will be campaigning in the referendum for the UK to stay in the European Union. We will make the case that membership of the European Union helps Britain to create jobs, secure growth, encourage investment and tackle the issues that cross borders – like climate change, terrorism, tax havens and the current refugee crisis."

Certainly, among our politicians in Shropshire, opinions are divided, with many still to make up their mind. As one would expect, Ukip Euro MP Jill Seymour believes that Britain should leave the EU, while Labour MEP Sion Simon takes the opposite stance and wants Britain to remain part of the union.

What does make interesting reading, though, is the similarity in the reasons they give for their opposing standpoints: both of them cite migration, workplace rights and the interests of British business as being priorities.

Workers' rights: There are numerous employment protections that we take for granted in this country. But we should all understand that they are only there because of our membership of the EU. Four weeks' paid holiday leave, the working time directive, anti-discrimination rules, and rights for agency workers – are a few examples of important principles that are all protected from governments that would otherwise scrap some of these practices if they could. We all benefit from the EU because of this.

Foreign investment: There is absolutely no doubt that if we were not in the EU, big companies like JLR and Amazon would not invest in the Midlands. JLR is a major boost to the economy of the West Midlands. It employs many people from the county and supports scores of firms in and around Shropshire that supply it parts and services. Multinational firms invest in the UK because of its links to the single market. If we sever those ties, businesses will leave and jobs will go – it's that simple.

Funding from EU: I've spoken to several businesses, community groups, charities and universities in the region about the European funding they've received over the years. Funding that has helped invest in our local areas, that's helped young people start up their own companies, that's helped us strengthen our transport systems. The West Midlands has massively benefited from European funding (almost £400 million in the last round of LEP funding alone) that's helped fill gaps from national government.

A fair deal: Being in the EU ensures a fair deal for our local businesses. Every local business I've visited in the West Midlands has told me that exporting to Europe is crucial to their business. If we leave the EU we risk cutting off our businesses and won't benefit from the EU's extensive competition law which helps to maintain standards. The EU also gives us a common set of standards to abide by so that we can guarantee high quality products without the risk of being undercut.

Influence: If the UK leaves the EU, we will forfeit our influence and our allies. It's only by having a seat at the table that you can bring about real change. If we leave, that influence leaves with it. No-one is going to listen to us or take any notice of us if we exclude ourselves. I believe Britain plays a big role on the world stage. The world listens to us – but if we can't cooperate with our immediate neighbours, how do you think the rest of the world will perceive us?

Crossing borders: If all the British people living in Europe had to come back to the UK and all the Europeans in the UK went back to Europe, Britain would be financially worse off. I don't want hard working families to have to go though the expensive, time-consuming process of having to get a visa every time they want to travel to Europe. I want them to continue to be able to be free to live, work and go on holiday wherever they want in the EU. Being in the EU attracts tourists, but it also attracts highly skilled workers.

The May General Election has left the area's parliamentary map a sea of blue, with Shropshire and Mid-Wales now served by six Tory MPs. While they all agree that the EU needs to change, there are crucial differences of opinion.

North Shropshire MP Owen Paterson is unequivocally in favour of Britain leaving the EU. The former environment secretary says the troubles in the eurozone mean that its members will effectively need to merge into a new country, and that is something Britain cannot be part of. He argues that the referendum is an opportunity for Britain to re-evaluate its relationship with the rest of Europe, focusing on trade rather than political union.

"We are not leaving the EU, the EU is leaving us," he says.

Lucy Allan, who captured the Telford seat from Labour at the May election, also says Britain's relationship with Europe needs fundamental reform, and questions the willingness of Brussels to offer any meaningful concessions. "I don't think the EU works in Britain's interest," she says.

Shrewsbury's Daniel Kawczynski sounds a more optimistic note, saying he is confident Mr Cameron will be able to negotiate the changes required to make the EU work for Britain's favour. However, he does qualify that by saying if he cannot win the necessary concessions, he would vote to leave.

Like his colleagues, Mark Pritchard, MP for The Wrekin, speaks of the need for our relationship with Europe to be reformed. "The United Kingdom benefits much from our relationship with Europe, but the political status quo must end," he says.

Montgomeryshire MP Glyn Davies and his colleague for Ludlow Philip Dunne are both yet to decide how they will vote, saying they will await the outcome of Mr Cameron's negotiations.

Your MPs have their say:

Owen Paterson:

"I stood at the recent General Election on a platform to campaign to leave the EU. The EU was always a political project, attempting to create a United States of Europe. "This is a far cry from the Common Market that we signed up to. I am delighted that the election of a Conservative majority Government means that the British people are going to have the chance to decide what our future relationship with our European neighbours should be.

"The Eurozone has proved to be a disaster and the only way to resolve its problems is for the EU to effectively become a new country, creating a full, redistributive federal state where there are legitimate means of transferring funds from wealth creating areas to countries where it is simply not possible to create wealth at the rate at which they joined the Euro.

"This was confirmed in the EU's Five Presidents' Report, published in June, which stated: "The euro is more than just a currency. It is a political and economic project". It makes clear that "deep and genuine" Economic and Monetary Union must be achieved by 2025.

"This week Commission President Jean Claude Juncker confirmed in his State of the Union Speech the programme for creating a new country by 2025 which we simply cannot join; we are not leaving the EU, the EU is leaving us.

"I strongly believe this is a huge opportunity for us to move to a new relationship based on trade and cooperation, restoring our ability to make laws and regulations in our own Parliament. This would mean the EU can pursue its political project and free us to take a full seat on influential global bodies such as the World Trade Organisation.

"English is the language of world trade. We have exceptionally close relationships with the whole of the Anglosphere: the US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. We have unique links to the Commonwealth and whose trade is worth around $4 trillion. We have especially close links to the growing nations of South Asia. Our geographical position, equidistant from Los Angeles and Hong Kong gives London, the world's most international city, a huge advantage.

"No other country can benefit from such a strong position, with its long history of international trade and global cooperation, whilst also embracing the advantages of modern technology in a dynamic 21st Century economy.

"As Churchill said, "We have our own dream and our own task. We are with Europe but not of it. We are linked but not comprised. We are interested and associated but not absorbed". He was right then and he is right now. The UK has a spectacular future as a flourishing world power and I look forward to making a positive, internationalist case for leaving the EU."

Lucy Allan:

"Our relationship with the EU needs fundamental reform. I don't think the EU works in Britain's interest.

"I fully support the Prime Minister's efforts to negotiate a better deal for Britain. He is seeking a more flexible and open Europe, which I welcome.

"However, it seems possible that Brussels will not give us real change. If that proves to be the case, I believe the British people will choose to leave the EU.

"That choice would create opportunities and give us back control of our own destiny.

"Of course we must be able to trade freely with Europe but that does not mean we have to have closer political union.

"The United Kingdom is part of an economy that now stretches across the globe. We know international co-operation is vital to our success and security.

"We don't want to be governed by Europe. Currently some fundamental issues are decided for us.

We want reduced regulation, migration controls and a right for Britain to veto European Union laws."

Daniel Kawczynski:

"I am delighted that, for the first time since 1975, the British people will have the opportunity to vote on Britain's future with the European Union. The EU that Britain voted to join, or European Economic Community as it was then, is drastically different to what we have today. It is for this reason that the British people deserve to have a say on our relationship.

"The Prime Minister is entirely correct that there needs to be some change in our relationship with the EU, as well as reform of the EU itself.

"As for my own view on the upcoming referendum, I have every confidence that David Cameron will return to Parliament from his negotiations in Brussels with a deal for a reformed membership for Britain that I would be happy to vote for. It is imperative that he does. I support our membership of the EU but would insist that it be reformed.

"Britain must have more power to govern our own affairs, particularly with regard to our borders and economy, and the EU must fix its democratic deficit and become more transparent and more accountable.

"If the Prime Minister cannot find a way through the endless bureaucracy and intransigence of Brussels to give the British people a deal we can stomach then I will have no choice but to vote for us to leave the Union. Britain succeeded as the greatest country in the world for nearly a thousand years before the EU came along and I have no doubt that we can succeed without it in the future, should they force our hand.

"Britain can achieve and take part in great things as members of the European Union, for example the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership with the United States of America, which could result in an average extra £433 in disposable income each year for a family of four in the EU. However, this membership cannot come at the expense of Britain's sovereignty and economic health. This is of the utmost importance.

"I look forward to hearing the Prime Minister's proposal for our renegotiated membership of the European Union."

Mark Pritchard:

"Europe needs reform. I believe the United Kingdom is best placed to lead those reforms. Reforms on how Europe manages its borders, its defence, its fiscal disciplines, and new ascension countries, as well as much-needed reforms to the energy and financial services and insurance sectors. The next few months will prove critical in seeing how and which other European countries support these reforms and which reforms are successful.

"The United Kingdom benefits much from our relationship with Europe but the political status quo must end. In a global and competitive race the European Union needs to be far more politically, economically, and diplomatically nimble to not only help Europe's economies compete better, against the likes of the ASEAN and BRIC countries, but also adapt to be far speedier in dealing with global crises and conflicts. In an unstable world, the United Kingdom and our European partners, need a stable and successful Europe.

"These are early days in the UK's negotiations. Time will tell if these negotiations are successful. However, The British people will finally have their say through a long fought for referendum. A referendum, whose result, will chart our country's destiny for a generation to come."

Glyn Davies:

"Britain's membership of the European Union is a hugely contentious issue. It always has been. My first 'public' campaign in 1975, as a young man, was in support of leaving the EEC – the last time the people of Britain were given a say.

"I was on the losing side then, but remained Eurosceptic. In particular, I was fiercely opposed to Britain joining the Euro. I welcome the opportunity for us all to vote in an in/out referendum.

"I support the referendum being held in 2017. This is the biggest decision the UK will face during the current Parliament, and should not be rushed. I also think there should be no suggestion of bias either way. It's such a momentous decision that strict 'purdah' rules should be enforced.

"I also oppose the vote being extended to 16 year olds. While I support votes at 16 in principle, it must be for all elections. It must not look like an attempt to influence the vote. It is crucial that the result of the vote should be accepted by both sides if this contentious issue is to be finally decided.

"At this stage it is impossible to commit to a position. My instinct says 'out' but cold calculation on national benefit may say 'yes'. In any case, we do not know what the options will be. The Prime Minister is currently negotiating changes to our relationship with the EU. It's sensible to wait until that reform process is completed."

Philip Dunne:

"Thanks to a Conservative majority government, the public will finally have the opportunity to deliver its verdict on the future of Britain's relationship with the EU. We will deliver on our commitment to hold a full In/Out EU referendum before the end of 2017.

"The Prime Minister has gone into bat for Britain at the negotiating table, and it would be foolish to make a decision on the merits or drawbacks of EU membership before seeing what he achieves. The EU has to change, as the crisis in the Eurozone has shown.

"I know some are sceptical of the EU's willingness to change, or the Prime Minister's ability to deliver in Europe. But let's not forget his track record. He vetoed an EU treaty which didn't guarantee a level playing field for British business, achieved a cut in the European budget for the first time ever, and extracted Britain from the "Eurozone bailout scheme so British taxpayers are not involved in bailing out other EU countries, like Greece.

"So I await the outcome of these negotiations before committing to how I will vote. Ultimately it will be for the British people, not MPs, in the House of Commons, to determine Britain's future in or out of Europe."