MP for the Cotswolds Geoffrey Clifton-Brown has given his support to the campaign for Britain to leave the European Union, citing the EU’s unwillingness to tackle the major social and economic issues that still grip the continent.

Mr Clifton Brown said: “Although it’s no longer headline news, the Eurozone debt crisis is still unresolved and there is now a serious crisis of uncontrolled migration threatening to destabilise the continent.

"The European Union has no long term plan to tackle either the causes or the effects of these issues and so the time has come for the UK to take control of its own destiny by voting to leave.”

Mr Clifton-Brown feels that the Prime Minister has worked extraordinarily hard to extract concessions for the UK from the other European leaders but these concessions have the potential to be overridden by EU institutions and they do not change the fact that the European project is essentially one of political integration and increased sovereignty over the UK.

Mr Clifton-Brown remains optimistic about Britain’s economic prospects outside the EU, stating: “Those who strongly advocate our continued membership often use the argument that about 50 per cent of all our imports and exports are with EU member states, and that this would somehow be in jeopardy if we were to withdraw.

"I do not believe this would be the case. The Germans will still want to sell us their cars and manufactured goods; the French will still want to sell us their wine and food products and the Italians will still want to sell us their clothing and shoes.

"Britain has been a superbly successful international trading nation for centuries. Outside the EU, with less red tape and bureaucracy, we will become more competitive and will be an even greater trading nation because of it. ”