The campaign to stay in Europe carried the day at the Great EU debate as both sides went head to head to win over the people of Tunbridge Wells last week.
Andy Bell, Political Editor at ITN’s 5 News, mediated as the audience watched representatives from both sides put their case.
Topics covered the economy, sovereignty and immigration, and a panel of local business representatives also grilled both sides.
Economist Professor Philip Davis, Andy Bagnall of the CBI and former Conservative MEP Ben Patterson played on the ecomomy to encourage people to remain in the EU.
Professor Davis said Britain’s economic future was ‘extraordinarily bleak’ if there was a Brexit, while Mr Bagnall warned of a ‘significant economic shock’.
The Brexit Panel, represented by Brendan Chilton of Labour Leave, economist Gerard Lyons and lawyer Anna Firth, emphasised the downsides of immigration and the loss of sovereignty to back their cause.
Mr Lyons told the audience it was ‘ridiculous’ that we are declining visas from people outside of Europe in order to favour less well qualified migrants from within the EU.
Mr Chilton, meanwhile, said successive governments ‘had no right’ to cede sover-eignty to the EU ‘without the consent of the British people’.
Ultimately, however, the Remain camp won over the undecided people present, with a post-debate poll showing them extending their lead over their opponents to win the debate.
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