I have deliberated long and hard over my decision regarding Europe. I have spoken to some key businesses in Taunton Deane as well as people, the more elderly, farmers and those passionate about the environment. I have also had individual meetings with Michael Gove and David Cameron, both of whom I have a great deal of respect for. There are convincing arguments on both sides and whatever the outcome of the referendum I shall play my part in doing the best, not just for Taunton Deane, but also for the nation. This is after all an individual vote. It was a manifesto promise (no other party offered this) and people are now getting this opportunity to have their say. Deep down, my gut feeling is that whatever the misgivings of the European Union, and I certainly don’t believe it is perfect, I am convinced that we are better off in Europe. Firstly, we have had 40 years of peace and relative prosperity so why rock the boat and opt for an unpredictable future? In an ever changing and uncertain world, with fractured systems dominated by countries such as China, Russia and Brazil I also believe we are more secure and more influential if linked with our other European partners, as opposed to going it alone. Importantly too, the European Union was originally set up as a trading block and we still benefit enormously from free trade with 500 million people on our doorstep. Indeed Europe is our largest trading partner representing 52% of our trade. To jeopardise this seems naïve. Certainly we must continue to pursue trade with the rest of the world, but being part of the EU helps to underpin, rather than undermine, our global trade presence. It could take years to renegotiate trade deals with European countries if we leave. This could have serious consequences for businesses such as the Ministry of Cake in Taunton which exports lorry loads of cake across Europe every week. Any uncertainty could impact negatively on jobs for companies like this and ultimately affect the local economy. And what of the red tape that spews from Europe? Businesses report to me that they actually benefit from EU employment laws and social protections. Many are concerned that leaving Europe would only result in an additional layer of UK regulation being added to the EU plethora, with companies that export having to adhere to both. For the food industry in particular, a key employer in the South West, an EU Brexit could be catastrophic: causing disruption to supply chains with the introduction of extra tariffs and import controls. Food legislation would have to be re-drafted with 27 individual countries and in the meantime food could be labelled unsafe and exports stalled, look what happened to our beef after BSE. This is not to mention the dependence of the food sector on the labour force from Eastern Europe. The UK workforce simply can’t, or doesn’t, fulfil this demand. I believe that science and innovation, both so crucial for our future, will suffer if we vote out. We currently contribute 11% to the EU science budget, but draw out 16% and the UK is the largest beneficiary of funding for health research. Leaving could pose high risks to financial services too, which are built on EU internal market legislation. Interestingly we spend the same amount on Europe as we do on transport but we get much of our European contribution back, not least to support the agricultural and rural sectors. Without this funding, these areas would be struggling more than ever. Remember too, that 2/3 of our agricultural exports go to Europe which would also be disadvantaged. I am not convinced our own government would prioritise the rural sector as Europe does and this would be highly detrimental especially in areas like Taunton Deane. On the wider environmental front all of our regulations emanate from Europe, many of which we led on formulating. Our water and air do not work in isolation and our birds don’t register boundaries, so we have to deal with these areas Europe wide. Without European protections many of our precious animals and plants, beaches, forests and landscapes would be under increasing threat. If we care about these I am sure we are better staying in the European Union. Many believe that the ‘civil service’ operating the EU is unacceptably large, however you may be surprised to learn that whilst 55,000 people run the EU, a population of 500 million, an extraordinary 96,000 run our Work and Pensions department here in the UK. On costs, we currently spend 1p in every £1 on our association with Europe, not unreasonable. And another misconception revolves around law making. It is something of a fallacy that all our laws emanate from the EU. Less than 7% of primary legislation and less that 15% of UK secondary legislation makes a direct or passing reference to EU law. Since I’ve been in Parliament, I can say that there are plenty of home grown laws being mooted and passed! Certainly Europe does need change, but it must be better to influence this by being at the table than outside of the EU member countries. Thanks to the Prime Ministers’ negotiations to keep us out of ‘ever closer’ union, to block unwanted EU laws, to opt out of the bailing out of failing states, together with a range of checks on migrants, we are already in a strong and individual position in Europe. Staying a part of it ultimately must make sense. Last but by no means least, let us consider the younger generations who will be stuck with the consequences of our decision should we come out of Europe. Do we want to burden them with a small island mentality, where shutters come down, the union possibly disintegrates and potentially 20 years of uncertainty ensues as we try to find a new direction? All the young people I have spoken to see themselves as Europeans, operating on a global stage with opportunities to move freely and work anywhere within the EU, so I urge a thought for them as this most important decision is made. I, like everyone else, only have one vote and for the reasons outlined here, I shall be voting to stay in.