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Letter to the Editor

Financial Times - Thursday, 19th October 2006

Dear Sir,

Europe Minister Geoff Hoon (letters, Oct 18th) says "Current research suggests that 3m British jobs depend on membership of the EU". This is simply untrue, and if Hoon does not know that it is untrue, he ought to know.

It may well be that 3 million British jobs depend on trade with the EU, but there is no reason to suppose that trade depends on membership. Switzerland (not an EU member) exports two and a half times as much on a per capita basis to the EU as we do.

Hoon's statement is a europhile myth that has been repeated mindlessly for years. It is just plain wrong, and Hoon should apologise.

Yours faithfully,

Roger Helmer
Conservative MEP for the East Midlands