Plymouth College’s Politics Society opened the floor two MPs to present the arguments for and against staying in the EU. The school is holding a mock referendum in June.
First up was the MP for South West Devon, Gary Streeter. Supporting the vote to stay in, he talked about three main areas – freedom and sovereignty, peace, and trade. A lively Q&A followed with questions such as ‘If we stay, do we have to join the Euro?’; ‘What impact would leaving the EU have on scientific research funding?’ and ‘Is the question really “Leave or deeper integration” rather than “Leave or remain”?’.
The next session was with Tom Pursglove, MP for Corby and East Northamptonshire. His main points for leaving were ‘We’d have £300m each week to spend on priorities such as the NHS’; ‘We’d regain control of 200 miles of coastal waters for fishing’; ‘We’d still be able to trade with the US, India and China’ and ‘Immigration would be fairer with no priority for Europeans.’
“We are very grateful to Gary and Tom for sharing their thoughts with us on the EU Referendum,” said Head of History and Politics, Ed Beavington. “The large audiences we had for both talks highlights how inspired the students are by the debate. Gary and Tom did an excellent job of developing the arguments ready for our school mock referendum on 23rd June.”