A SENIOR UKIP figure based in Worcestershire has fiercely criticised the EU debate - comparing the dire economic threats to the 'Y2K' Millennium bug farce.

Peter Jewell, UKIP's deputy treasurer and a key county ally to Nigel Farage, says refuting the daily claims about what will happen to the country post-Brexit is "like pulling teeth".

Mr Jewell, who is also a consultant for businesses, says the predictions of doom mirror the panic which engulfed Britain prior to the year 2000, all of which proved unfounded.

At the time there were claims that IT systems around the world would crash, sparking chaos among companies, hospitals and Governments.

Mr Jewell has also released a document revealing how 17 organisations backing Remain have benefitted from £124 million in European state aid within the last decade including many unions, suggesting a conspiracy.

"This whole debate has been wrecked by a lack of factual information, it's like pulling teeth," he said.

"This so-called financial situation we are being threatened with just won't happen - the best example is Y2K.

"At the time I had a worldwide management company and I can tell you, companies made absolute fortunes going around telling people they had to get 'Y2K compliant'.

"There were predictions of IT systems crashing, things not working, lifts not being able to go up and down, it was all nonsense.

"At the time I said I could see no logical reason why it would happen - it's just the same with this."

The list of pro-Remain bodies getting EU grants includes £285,788 to Unite, £763,472 to the TUC, £133,842 to the National Farmers Union (NFU) and £372,945 to the GMB.

The likes of Unison and the Communication Workers Union also feature as well as non-union bodies like the WWF, RSPB and Friends of the Earth.

Including payments to the likes of the International Monetary Fund, CBI and Standard & Poor the grants since 2008 add up to $159.8 million, or £125.2 million in pounds.

Mr Jewell, who is also a non-executive director at Worcestershire County Cricket Club and helps run Worcester-based Lexion Consulting, added: "I'm not what you would call a true politician, if I felt an exit wasn't good for the country I'd say so.

"Yes, the City would take a hit (under a Brexit) but what's wrong with the value of sterling falling so it can come back up again but stronger?"

He stood for UKIP in Redditch at last year's general election and contested the role of police and crime commissioner last month for West Mercia.

Earlier this week the leaders of Britain's biggest trade unions issued a plea to six million members to back Remain.

Ten trade union leaders including Dave Prentis, general secretary of Unite, signed a letter saying: "Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s the British trade union movement worked in solidarity with our European partners and fought hard to secure valuable working rights legislation at EU level.

"To this day these rights including maternity and paternity rights, equal treatment for full time, part-time and agency workers and the right to paid leave continue to underpin and protect British people.

"If Britain leaves the EU we are in no doubt these protections would be under great threat."