Gordon Brown today weighed into the pro-EU campaign with a passionate patriotic defence for Britain to vote remain.

The former prime minister said the referendum debate should be dominated by the question of “what kind of country we want to be”.

He called on the public to “look in the mirror” and consider “what best meets our needs and our aspirations”.

The “profoundly-patriotic view” is to lead Europe rather for Britain to isolate itself and risk a “future of misery” for current and future generations.

Writing in the Mirror, Brown said: “Europe is where we can best carry influence and where we can do most good, for ourselves and the world.”

He highlighted Britain’s economy and “interconnected” position in the world as well as the benefits to exports and employment,

“The message could not be clearer: for trade and thus sustaining millions of jobs, to defend ourselves against terrorists and people smugglers who operate across borders, to prevent unscrupulous competitors in other parts of Europe undercutting us, to use our energy resources such as wind and wave to best effect and to ensure our security and stability, there IS no alternative but to co-operate with our neighbours.

“Building a common future is our insurance policy against a troubled world.

“Sharing solutions is our protection against environmental pollution, financial crisis and terrorist infiltration.”

Brown is the latest Labour heavyweight to speak out in favour of Europe, with former Labour Eurosceptics writing an open letter outlining their support for an “in” vote at the weekend. His major speech late on in the 2014 Scottish referendum campaign was widely credited with strengthening the resolve of No voters in the final days.