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Ed Miliband has said Merseyside should vote remain ‘to keep Boris Johnson out of Number 10.’

The former Labour Party leader spoke exclusively to the ECHO ahead of the EU Referendum on June 23 - and urged the people of Liverpool to vote remain.

Ed told the ECHO that voting to leave the EU would leave the doors of Number 10 wide-open for Boris Johnson.

Boris is widely disliked on Merseyside after he published an offensive article in The Spectator that said Liverpool people “wallow in their victim status.”

Ed said: “If we voted to leave the EU, we’d be handing the keys of Downing Street to people like Boris Johnson - who we all know is absolutely no friend of Liverpool, as he’s proved in the past.”

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The interview comes just days after it was revealed that Merseyside ranks as the second most likely place to vote leave in a poll conducted on social media.

Analysis of several online platforms revealed that 63% of posts in Merseyside advocate ‘leave’ compared to 37% backing the “remain” campaign, causing Ed to urge the people to Merseyside to vote remain.

“I’m standing with every labour leader, with all of the major trade unions, with 95% of labour MPs in making that case because I believe econominally it’s better for labour voters if we remain in the European Union, for workers rights - many of which come from the European Union,” he added.

“I think the EU is a vital line of defence against the Tory government for example the money that has come to Merseyside as a result of European funds - we’re talking hundreds of millions.

“What it would mean is fewer workers rights, cuts to public services, and things which frankly we should not contemplate.

“This is not a referendum on David Cameron, this is a referendum on your future - for your kids, your family, for your community.”

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