Sammy Wilson: Working people will spurn Corbyn on EU

Apart from the Blairite wing of the Labour party most Labour MPs have disengaged from the EU referendum campaign because they know that EU membership has been bad for their electorate and their Europhile wing is totally out of touch with working class people who have suffered most from EU policies.

That is why Jeremy Corbyn’s intervention in the debate today will have little impact on the outcome of the EU referendum.

The people who have suffered most from our EU membership are those who because of their reliance on public services have been hit hardest by the austerity measures necessary to get us out of the economic mess caused by the last government and the big banks who ironically are some of the most pro EU bodies in this debate because the EU is the champion of big corporate bodies.

That austerity has been made even worse by the £10,000m which we have to turn over each year to the EU. It is money which could be used to build more social and affordable housing, improve failing inner city schools, provide better health care, train unemployed youngsters and support economic regeneration, but instead the out of touch political elite regard it as a price worth paying to stay in the EU club.

Secondly it is working class areas where the impact of uncontrolled immigration has had its greatest impact creating housing shortages, putting pressure on schools which have to cope with multiple languages without additional support, overloading local medical services and contributing to rising crime rates.

It is true in many inner city areas and public sector housing estates across the UK including N.I. Many labour MPs are sitting out this referendum campaign because they know they are facing a losing battle trying to persuade their electorate that membership of the EU with its open border policy is a good thing.

Thirdly it has been the working class who have been hit hardest by the downward pressure on wages as a result of uncontrolled immigration from poorer EU countries. Even the leader of the Britain Stronger in Europe campaign admitted that one of the impacts of leaving the EU would be to push up wages.

Furthermore as Steel workers have found our membership of the EU has prevented the UK government from protecting their jobs even when their factories are closing because of unfair foreign competition. America which has freedom to make its own decision was able to impose tariffs on cheap subsidised Chinese steel imports, Britain within the EU straight jacket cannot so 10s of thousands of jobs have been lost.

The Neil Kinnocks, Peter Mandelsons etc of the Labour party have done well out of Europe. They landed well paid commissioners jobs but the truth is that the ordinary people of this country have seen money diverted from public services, wages forced down, and their neighbourhoods changed that ids why they should and I believe will vote to leave and will spurn Jeremy Corbyn’s lukewarm support for the struggling remain campaign.

Sammy Wilson,

DUP MP East Antrim