In or out? It's time for you to decide on EU

It’s a subject which has dominated the headlines for weeks, with passionate argument on both sides.

The referendum vote will take place tomorrow (Thursday). It has been frequently described as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for people to have a say on the future direction of the country – and polls suggest the vote was too close to call.

British, Irish and Commonwealth citizens over 18 who are resident in the UK are eligible to vote, along with UK nationals living abroad who have been on the electoral register in the UK in the past 15 years.

We ask the two MPs whose constituencies fall in our circulation area to explain how they intend to vote in the EU referendum and why.

Nick Boles – Conservative MP for Grantham and Stamford – says: “On Thursday, the British people come to a fork in the road.

“If they vote to Remain in the EU, businesses will start investing again, creating new jobs and offering working people the prospect of sustained growth in wages. The Government will be able to deliver the extra money which the NHS needs, meet our promises to protect pensions and carry on creating three million new apprenticeships. We will be able to look forward with confidence and optimism.

“If we vote to Leave, any joy at the prospect of disentangling ourselves from Brussels will quickly be replaced by anxiety and retrenchment. The uncertainty over our future trading relationships will cause an economic shock and punch a hole in the public finances which will have to be filled by tax increases or further cuts.

“For the sake of all those who depend on a strong economy I hope you will vote to Remain.”

Stephen Phillips, Conservative MP for Sleaford and North Hykeham, is one of over 30 Lincolnshire MPs and senior politicians who have signed an open letter explaining why they are for an exit from the EU.

Mr Phillips said: “I and others fought very hard to ensure that this referendum happened.

“Since I became an MP, I have always been clear that the EU has become an institution that lacks democratic consensus in the UK. It is no longer the trading union for which my parents voted in 1975.

“Having secured that referendum, it will be for the British people to decide whether to remain or not. My vote counts for no more than anyone else’s.

“For me, however, this is about democracy; about who runs our country. I believe that we should all be able to vote out of office the people who make the laws by which our lives are lived. That is why, having considered the matter carefully, on June 23 I will vote for the UK to leave the European Union.

“This is a referendum in which we all have a vote and I know that others will make a different choice, which I respect, as I hope they will respect mine.”