Britain is better off in Eurpe : By Alan Johnson MP

 Our future as part of the Europe and that of our children and grandchildren will be decided on the 23^rd June this year. There is a stark choice between an outward looking Britain with a future for young people as part of the EU, or a leap in the dark. Polling stations will be open from 7am until 10pm and I urge all of you to vote Remain.

We all want to see the next generation succeed, and our membership of the EU offers the opportunities and advantages they need to help them achieve their goals. UK universities do disproportionately well in securing EU research funding, ensuring well-paid jobs here in the Britain in high-skill sectors like science, engineering, technology and medicine. The opportunity to study at universities all over the 28 EU member states enriches our young people’s lives, providing them valuable experience and understanding of life in another country. Over 200,000 British students have taken the opportunity to study abroad, and I hope many more have the chance. A vote to leave the EU for them is not some luxury option; it is a threat to their prospects, to membership of an organisation which guarantees them an outward looking future.

A vote to leave is a vote for risk. Vote Leave say they’ll walk away from the single market and negotiate a new deal, but they can’t explain what it would be and how long it will take. The truth is if we left, the EU would not give us a better deal than they have for themselves. If we leave the EU we will not get any special trade deals and recession and job losses will surely follow. How can young people looking to start a home and raise a family hope to do so against the average loss of £4,300 for each UK household experts expect if we leave the EU? With £36bn in spending cuts, how will our children hoping to become doctors and nurses in the NHS or teachers in our schools hope to find a job?

EU membership greatly benefits the UK universities that will provide our young people with the skills they need to win the jobs of the future. It allows them to broaden their horizons, travelling across this continent and experiencing different ways of looking at things, of solving problems. And remaining in the EU helps protect growth and investment that will provide the jobs for the next generation.

When you cast your ballot on the 23^rd June, remember this is a vote for the kind of country we leave for our children and grandchildren – an island isolated on the fringes of Europe; or a proud, confident nation that is ready for the challenges of the 21^st century.  I know which I prefer for my kids, that’s why on June 23^rd I will be voting to Remain for a strong, safer, better future for Britain.

 Alan Johnson MP, Chair of Labour In for Britain