1. A QUESTION OF SOVEREIGNTY

Leaving the EU would offer a chance to put the UK in charge of our own destiny and laws again — and restore our status as a sovereign nation.

According to the Commons Library, up to 60 per cent of regulations originate from the EU and the 28-member Commission in Brussels — none of whom were elected. Britain’s Commissioner, Lord (Jonathan) Hill, is a former lobbyist and Tory researcher who has never stood for elected office in his life. Nor had his predecessor, Cathy Ashton, a Labour appointee and Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament official.

2. STRIKING GLOBAL TRADE DEALS

We’d be free to negotiate our own trade deals — especially with the world’s emerging new economies.

Since we import £89 billion of goods more annually from other EU countries than we sell to them, the EU stands to lose more than Britain if it seeks to impose tariffs post-Brexit. We are a crucial export market for Germany, the EU’s most powerful country, which would be the post-Brexit deal-maker.

Since we import £89 billion of goods more annually from other EU countries than we sell to them, the EU stands to lose more than Britain if it seeks to impose tariffs post-Brexit. Pictured: Tilbury Docks, London

3. JOB MARKET THAT WOULD STILL EXIST

There are an estimated 3.3 million British jobs ‘linked’ to our membership of the EU. By the same measure, there are more than five million jobs on the Continent that are linked to trade with Britain. This includes one million jobs in Germany, 494,000 in France, 309,000 in Italy and 421,000 in Spain.

4. THE BILLIONS WE GIFT TO BRUSSELS

We pay far more into the EU budget than we get back — making a net contribution of around £8.5 billion last year (£23 million a day), which is more than we spend on the police service or border controls.

The NHS costs £8.5 billion a month and the Health Service would get an extra £5 billion a year as a result of Brexit.

Also, almost £1 billion of British cash goes to the EU for international aid.

5. HOW TO CONTROL OUR BORDERS

Currently there’s no upper limit on migration and no proper control of our borders. More than three million EU migrants live in the UK — double the number in 2004 when the EU expanded to include Eastern European countries, who have sent more than a million people here (despite the last Labour Government saying it would be only 13,000 a year.)

Net migration from EU countries to the UK, according to official figures, is 184,000 a year — enough to fill a city the size of Oxford. David Cameron has never hit his target to reduce net migration to the tens of thousands — and most agree he never will if we remain inside the EU.

Using a new points-system, every applicant to live here would be treated on their merit rather than on their nationality

6. WHAT KIND OF MIGRATION SYSTEM?

Under EU law, we must let in any EU citizen regardless of their qualifications. The result? Businesses can’t get work permits for highly skilled or educated people from the Commonwealth, U.S., Australia and elsewhere outside the EU.

Using a new points-system, every applicant to live here would be treated on their merit rather than on their nationality. Equally, we’d be able to accept more genuine refugees.

7. MEDDLING BY FOREIGN JUDGES

Parliament is powerless, under EU treaties, to defend itself against the rulings of the European Court of Justice — which has interfered in everything from the price of beer to the right to deport terror suspects.

The UK has lost three-quarters of the cases it’s challenged since 1973. This makes a mockery of the idea that the UK’s Supreme Court is supreme.

8. FOREIGN RAPISTS AND KILLERS

Thanks to Brussels diktats, some of the EU’s most evil killers, rapists and drug-dealers have been allowed to remain here — because their right to free movement has been put ahead of keeping the British public safe.

A report by the Labour-led Commons Home Affairs Committee said the number of foreign criminals who had not been deported could fill a ‘small town’. British jails hold almost 10,000 foreign prisoners — including 1,000 Poles.

A report by the Labour-led Commons Home Affairs Committee said the number of foreign criminals not been deported could fill a ‘small town’. British jails hold almost 10,000 foreign prisoners - including 1,000 Poles

9. KEEPING OUT UNDESIRABLES

UK law stops anyone from outside the EU entering Britain if their presence is deemed ‘not conducive to the public good’, but Brussels says EU citizens can only be turned away if there is a ‘serious, credible and present threat’.

Thus the list of criminals able to come here include a Latvian who murdered his wife before moving to the UK, where he killed a 14-year-old girl. Over the past decade, UK officials have only been able to turn away 11,000 EU nationals.

10. PROTECTING US FROM TERRORISM

The EU’s Frontex border security agency has warned that jihadists are exploiting the Union’s open borders and the migrant crisis to sneak into the continent and plot atrocities. Two of the attackers responsible for last year’s outrages in Paris used exactly this approach.

The British head of Europol also said that as many as 5,000 Islamic State-trained jihadists are moving freely in Europe. And Sir Richard Dearlove, ex-head of MI6, said we could be safer outside of the EU as it would be easier to deport fanatics. Leaving the EU would still allow us to work with U.S. intelligence agencies — as the so-called gold standard ‘Five Eyes’ intelligence-sharing partnership consists of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the U.S. and the UK.

Sir Richard Dearlove (pictured in 2011), ex-head of MI6, said we could be safer outside of the EU as it would be easier to deport fanatics

11. WILL TURKEY BE ALLOWED TO JOIN?

David Cameron has repeatedly refused to drop his government’s support for Turkey — which has 77 million citizens — joining the EU.

Yet he’s said that at the current rate it won’t join until the year 3000 — despite the European Commission announcing last week that Turkey’s membership application was being ‘accelerated’.

Before the referendum campaign, the PM said his wish was to ‘pave the road from Ankara [Turkey’s capital]’ to Brussels. Turkish citizens are already being given visa-free access to mainland Europe after a deal that saw the Turks getting £4.6 billion in aid.

Campaign group Migration Watch has warned an extra 100,000 Turks would flock to Britain every year if the predominantly Muslim country joined the EU.

Campaign group Migration Watch has warned an extra 100,000 Turks would flock to Britain every year if the predominantly Muslim country joined the EU

12. THE CORRUPTION OF EU OFFICIALDOM

Last year — for the 21st year running! — the EU Court of Auditors admitted that Brussels expenditure was compromised by irregularities, with ‘a persistently high level of payment errors, which means too much money is still not spent in accordance with the EU’s financial rules’.

13. AND THE ROTTEN EUROPEAN ECONOMY

By the end of last year, the UK economy was 6.8 per cent larger than it was at the start of 2008, whereas the EU economy was only 1.9 per cent bigger (France’s grew by 2.9 per cent and Italy’s is 8.8 per cent smaller than in 2008)).

Also, unemployment in the UK is five per cent — less than half the 10.2 per cent jobless rate in the eurozone. (In Greece, it is 24 per cent — with youth unemployment at a desperate 51 per cent — and 20 per cent in Spain).

Unemployment in the UK is five per cent — less than half the 10.2 per cent jobless rate in the eurozone. In Greece, it is 24 per cent — with youth unemployment at a desperate 51 per cent (file picture)

14. BUSINESS TIED UP IN RED TAPE

Treasury research has shown that the EU’s ‘single market’ rules could impose costs of seven per cent of GDP on the UK economy. At £125 billion a year, that’s the equivalent of £4,639 per household. Only 6 per cent of British companies export to the EU — but all must comply with EU ‘single market’ legislation.

Small businesses — the lifeblood of our economy — suffer most, whereas big firms can lobby Brussels.

15. PROTECTING PUBLIC SERVICES

Freedom of movement rules mean we have no idea many foreigners settle here — which means it’s impossible to plan the necessary health, education, transport and housing requirements for them. This has led to intense pressures for anyone trying to get a school place for their child or a GP appointment.

Rents are rising and first-time buyers struggle to get on the housing ladder as prices soar and supply diminishes.

With five more nations — Turkey, Serbia, Montenegro, Albania and Macedonia — hoping to join the EU, this will only get worse.

Patients lined up at 6.30am outside The Sunbury Health Centre, Surrey, for a same-day GP appointment. The picture paints a bleak picture of the oversubscribed health service put under strain by freedom of movement

16. CONTROLLING ASYLUM SEEKERS

According to its own statistics, 1.3 million people claimed asylum in the EU last year. Some 363,000 came from Syria. Applicants who get EU citizenship are free to move to the UK.

17. THE FARMING BUDGET SCANDAL

Despite contributing 12.5 per cent of the overall EU budget, the UK sees just 7 per cent of the Common Agricultural Policy budget spent here. By contrast, France gets 16.4 per cent, Spain 11.6 per cent, Germany 11.3 per cent, Italy 10.1 per cent and Poland 8.8 per cent.

The EU’s farm subsidy system meant that prior to 2003, the so-called Single Farm Payment was linked to how much farmers produced — leading to massive over-production and waste.

Now, farmers don’t have to produce a set amount — they are paid automatically for keeping land in ‘agricultural condition’. As a result, it’s been reported wealthy landowners absurdly get Brussels payments for having pony paddocks.

Despite contributing 12.5 per cent of the overall EU budget, the UK sees just 7 per cent of the Common Agricultural Policy budget spent here. Pictured: A farm on the South Downs, East Sussex

18. THE BARMIEST GREEN LAWS

Following the EU’s ban on incandescent light-bulbs, many people suffered epilepsy from the flickering, supposedly eco-friendly fluorescent bulbs. Equally controversially, vacuum cleaners sold in the EU have been limited to an output of 1,600 watts. This directive is expected to be extended to kettles, toasters, hair-dryers and other domestic appliances.

19. THE TRUTH ABOUT VAT RATES

Under EU rules, once a product is liable for VAT, any EU member government is not allowed to abolish that tax without Brussels’ approval. Thus, the lowest VAT Westminster can impose is 5 per cent — which imposes hardship on some British families with VAT charged at 5 per cent on energy bills. (Our Government even had to seek permission to scrap the levy charged on tampons.) Brussels pockets around 0.3 per cent of VAT paid.

20. LOSING CONTROL OF OUR SEAS

EU membership has devastated our fishing industry — halving the number of fisherman to fewer than 12,000 since 1975. Under international law, each nation enjoys an ‘Exclusive Economic Zone’ extending 200 miles from its coast. However, the Common Fisheries Policy pools the zones of member states into a single zone.

The first 12 miles is restricted to a nation’s own fishermen, but the area from 12 miles to 200 miles is open to the fleets of any EU member state.

Spanish vessels last year got a quota of 15,546 tonnes of hake for a large area of the Atlantic off Scotland while UK vessels were allowed just 7,131 tonnes. Leaving the EU would allow us to fish our own waters — and breathe new life into harbour towns.