South East England Lib Dem European Candidate Alan Bullion has pledged his support for Britain’s continued membership of the European Union, which each year provides billions of pounds of funding across the United Kingdom.

This follows an important new report by respected academic Professor Iain Begg, who has worked out how many jobs rely on trade with the European Union. He has calculated that trade with the EU accounts for 4,614 jobs across the borough of Tunbridge Wells – which also includes Cranbrook and surrounding villages in the Maidstone and Weald constituency.

From 2007-2012 the European Investment Bank provided €26.7 billion of loans in the UK, alongside €8.4 billion of investment. “Liberal Democrats are building a stronger economy in a fairer society. Part of that is recognising the huge benefits our membership of the European Union brings. Around 3.5 million jobs are linked to Britain’s membership of the EU. I know many people have issues with the EU, but as we climb out of a terrible recession, is this really the time to risk our membership of the world’s most valuable single market?,” said Alan Bullion.

Liberal Democrat Leader and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has also warned of the dangers of leaving the European Union saying:

“Our economy is finally turning a corner, but the recovery is fragile. We should be focusing on finishing the job and laying the foundations for long-term growth, not entertaining the idea of an EU exit that would throw our recovery away. Let me be absolutely clear: leaving the EU would be economic suicide. You cannot overstate the damage it would do to British livelihoods and prosperity.”