OFF YOUR TROLLEY PM’s message to Sun readers: Voting to quit EU

ON June 23, we face a huge decision: do we stay in a reformed Europe, or go out on our own?

By now we’ve all heard the predictions of lower growth, job losses and the big economic hit we’d take if we left the EU.

5

Every credible economic organisation, from the Bank of England to the International Monetary Fund, has all said the same: Britain would be worse off.

But what about the prices you pay in the shops? The situation here is similarly stark.

Even some of those campaigning to leave admit that, if we left Europe, there would be a sharp shock to the economy. And that will put pressure on the Pound.

Why would we put these British livelihoods on the line like this?

Prime Minister David Cameron

Indeed, independent analysts and financial institutions predict if we leave Europe the fall in the value of sterling would be an average of 12 per cent, though some think it will take an even bigger hit.

Let’s be clear what that means: a weaker currency means more expensive imports; that means more expensive food and it drives higher business costs. And we all know where that ends up: higher prices in the shops.

Today new Treasury analysis shows what that means in pounds and pence.

It shows the average cost of the weekly family shop for food and drink would rise by almost three per cent, that’s £120 a year.

Clothing and footwear would see even bigger increases — a five per cent increase, or an extra £100 a year. Put together, that’s a £220 bill for the average family.

Are these price hikes really worth it? Are we really going to make hard-working families, especially those who already feel stressed as the end of every month approaches, take this kind of hit?

It’s yet more evidence that the outcome of this referendum will have real and direct consequences for every family in Britain.

Because fundamentally, the big question on the ballot paper this June is this: will Britain be better off in Europe, or out on its own?

I’m in no doubt — Britain is better off in. As Treasury analysis shows, in the long-term we would be £4,300 per household worse off if we left — a permanently poorer country.

5

Just think what that means — less money for our schools and hospitals; less money for our Armed Forces; less money for our pensions.

And then there’s what will happen to jobs. Over three million jobs in our economy are linked to trade with Europe.

People working in businesses large and small depend on our trading relationship with Europe, on access to its single market where we can sell our goods tariff-free.

The Leave campaign now admits they want to remove Britain from this market, putting a huge question mark over each and every one of these jobs. Why would we put these livelihoods on the line like this?

And why would we want to restrict job opportunities for our children and grandchildren?

There is also a consensus that if we leave Europe, wages will not grow as quickly as they would have done otherwise.

5

It’s simple really: the less we trade with our neighbouring countries, the less productive we become and the slower wages grow.

So that means less money at the end of every month for working people. So as you make up your mind over the next few weeks, the biggest issue must be our economic security.

Everything else — including our national security, our NHS and our strength in the world — depends on a strong economy.

And everything that happens in the wider economy affects families across Britain: whether you can pay the bills, whether you can put some money aside at the end of the month, whether you can plan for your children’s future.

5

Our country has spent the past six years building a strong economic recovery, and the hard work of Sun on Sunday readers has been a big part of why we’re now doing so well.

The hangover from the financial crash meant it took some time for people to feel the recovery in their own lives, but we now see wages growing strongly above inflation. Things are getting better.

Are we really going to chuck this all away? Why would we want to do this to ourselves, just as our economy is predicted to grow so strongly if we remain?

This isn’t like a general election where you can have another vote five years later. This is permanent — we will live with the consequences of the choice we make for decades and beyond.

5

The evidence is clear: leaving the EU carries serious risks — to your job, to your wages, to the economic security that families rightly prize above all else.

And as we show today, it would hit you in the wallet and at the checkout, too.

So I say: Our economy is strong and it’s growing stronger. We’re going in the right direction. Don’t take this risk.

Don’t let us go backwards. Families across Britain can’t afford to leave the EU — and today I urge them: vote to remain.