Head-to-head on Europe: York Central's former Labour MP Sir Hugh Bayley and Nigel Adams, Tory MP for Selby and Ainsty

WE SHOULD STAY, says Sir Hugh Bayley

Does Europe matter to York? I think so. York has always been more influential when we have reached out to the rest of the world, as has the UK.

On June 23, I will vote for Britain to remain in the European Union, for six reasons: • it is good for British trade, investment and jobs; • leaving the EU would give us less, not more, control over our borders; • the EU gives us important rights at work and environmental protection; • it sets high standards of human rights and democracy; • alongside NATO and the United Nations, the EU plays an important part in keeping peace in Europe; • it's not perfect, but then neither is our own government – whichever party is in power.

Britain is a trading nation. Half our foreign trade is with the European Union. Of course we would still sell Portakabins, Kit-Kats and Aviva insurance in Europe if we left the EU, but we would no longer have a seat at the EU table which sets the terms of trade.

The EU sets a default tariff of 3 percent on everything imported from outside the EU. At present we pay nothing, but it would mean a 3 percent tax on all British exports to EU countries if we left.

We could ask them to remove the tariff, but it took non-EU member Switzerland 20 years to negotiate tariff-free access, and in return they had to agree to implement a host of EU laws over which they have virtually no say.

Sir Hugh Bayley

In return for a trade deal, we would have to open our borders to people from the EU, just like Switzerland, because the EU package requires free movement of goods and people.

Only one percent of our national income goes to the EU, and more than half comes back in grants to deprived areas, subsidies to British farmers and research money for UK universities.

We shouldn't get the size of the EU bureaucracy out of proportion. It is smaller than the staff of the BBC.

As an EU member we do not always get our way, though the Economist reports we are on the winning side 87% of the time. When we are in the minority we can negotiate safeguards not available to non-members. On immigration, for example, the EU Schengen agreement removed passport and customs controls between EU states, but we negotiated an opt-out so passports are still checked at UK borders.

On immigration, we should remember that two million Brits live in other EU countries. If we closed our borders to EU citizens, they would do likewise, depriving those UK citizens of access to their health and social security systems, and forcing many to return to the UK.

The EU sets employment standards – like maternity and paternity rights, and 4 weeks paid holiday. It gives us free health care when we visit other EU countries. It has cut CO2 emissions, cleaned up rivers and beaches and banned animal testing for cosmetics.

But for me the biggest benefit is peace and security.

Both my father and grandfather joined the Army to fight for British freedom in two world wars. They survived, but 886,000 British service personnel were killed in World War I, and 383,000 in World War II, a war which killed over 70 million people in all.

In the 70 years since the end of the second world war fewer than four thousand British servicemen and women have been killed – fighting for Britain in Korea, Suez, Northern Ireland, the Falklands, Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. That is about 50 a year, compared with 100,000 each year during the world wars.

After the second world war politicians created several international bodies, including the United Nations, NATO and the European Union to try to avoid war. We give up some sovereignty when we join an international body, but the peace dividend usually greatly outweighs the cost.

In 1952, when I was born, the UK spent 10 percent of national income on defence. We now spend just two percent.

We need NATO, as well as the EU, to keep the peace in Europe. When Russia annexed Crimea, NATO deployed troops and military equipment, including British war planes, to the Baltic to deter Russia. The EU imposed economic sanctions and set out plans to reduce the EU's dependency on Russian oil and gas.

The EU, NATO and the UN all make mistakes and Britain does not always get its way. But we get more of a say, and more of our way, when we stay involved with these international bodies.

In or out? Make your vote count

WE SHOULD LEAVE, says Nigel Adams

I am now more convinced than ever that Britain has a very bright future outside the EU.

Over the six years that I have been the Member of Parliament for Selby and Ainsty, I have taken the concerns of my constituents to Ministers and officials only to be told we can’t have the changes we need because “it’s EU law and there’s nothing we can do.” That does not not sit well with me and I know it does not sit well with my constituents.

Whether it’s our desire to lower energy bills by reducing VAT or save jobs across the country by having freedom in our industrial policies, we’ve been hamstrung rather than helped by the EU.

Locally, we’ve seen EU rules speed up the closure of Kellingley Colliery and challenge our government’s help to Drax Power Station, and help force the closure of other stations.

When we entered the Common Market in the 1970s, we were told it was all about trade with our European neighbours, but instead of concentrating on trade and co-operation, the UK is now locked in to ever closer political union, with precious little democratic accountability.

I credit the Prime Minister with trying to negotiate for Britain, and for providing us this referendum. But the response from the EU just shows that change and reform of the EU is impossible. We came to the table – and were given no meaningful change, no additional democratic accountability, no control over our own borders. EU officials went back and boasted to the media that they’d not compromised, that there’d been no change for the UK.

We send £11.4 billion net, and £19.1 billion gross, to the EU every year. This is money that would better be spent on our priorities and our public services like the NHS.

Nigel Adams

Even when the EU does return some money to Britain, we find our country is treated unfairly. For example, we put some £5.9 billion into the Common Agricultural Policy, but our farmers only see about half of that money back – and at lower rates than farmers in other EU countries.

The UK is the world’s fifth largest economy, boasting among the highest economic growth and lowest unemployment rates in the developed world, not to mention the EU. It also receives the most foreign investment in Europe. Leaving the EU will improve our quality of life: with our right to strike deals with other countries restored, the UK will be able to gain better access to those markets that buy most of our goods and services.

Additionally, our trade with the EU has been falling while our trade with the rest of the world has been rising. Naturally, we should be capitalising on this growth – but the EU prevents us from negotiating our own trade agreements, even with Commonwealth countries. And when the EU negotiates trade agreements, they don’t necessarily reflect Britain's interests.

With regard to global influence, the EU takes the UK’s place in many global bodies and overrules Britain in most of the others: climate change, the environment and standards are just a few examples. Once freed from the EU’s gagging order, Britain will be able to capitalise on its enormous cultural, political, economic, scientific and business clout in global affairs.

We have benefitted from immigration – but we should be able to decide who we let into our country. When British workers are being undercut by cheap labour, but entrepreneurs, scholars, teachers and doctors from non-EU countries – who contribute to our economy and our public services – are thrown out of the country or are told they are ineligible to even apply for visas, something is wrong. It should be the other way around.

Only by leaving the European Union will the UK have total control of its borders and be able to deport dangerous foreign criminals. Cross-border security and intelligence cooperation is in every European country’s interest, and will continue, regardless of the outcome of the EU referendum.

My message is one of hope: I believe in Britain’s ability to stand on its own two feet. I believe good laws are made by accountable government, determined by the votes of the British people – not by 28 un-elected Commissioners. We are the 5th largest economy in the world and I have great confidence in our ability to prosper outside of the EU as a global, forward looking nation. We all have a say on the 23rd of June – I hope you will join me in voting Leave.