South Shields MP reacts after 70% of readers tell us they want out of the EU

The European Union flag and national flags in front of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

More than 3,500 people voted on-line across the Echo website and those of our sister papers the Shields Gazette and Hartlepool Mail.

And more than two-thirds of those taking part indicated they will be voting ‘out’ in the ballot a week today.

Quitting the EU attracted support from 72 per cent of those taking part, with just 28 per cent of those voting indicating they were backing the ‘Remain’ campaign.

A Vote Leave spokesman said: “The North East stands to gain a huge amount when we Vote Leave on June 23.

“The region is known for its industrial innovation and ambition. When we take back control of our trade negotiations, budgets and immigration policy, we can make sure the North East’s priorities are met.”

South Shields MP Emma Lewell-Buck, who is backing the ‘Remain’ campaign, urged voters to think carefully about the consequences of leaving the EU.

“In this Referendum, there are a multitude of facts, counter facts and issues being debated by politicians, but independent experts like the IFS and the Governor of the Bank of England have made it clear that our economy is at risk of recession if we leave,” she said.

“Recession will hit areas such as Shields very hard. I don’t want to see jobs and public services take the hit for an exit vote whose main beneficiaries will be Boris Johnson, Michael Gove and Iain Duncan Smith.”