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North East business and political leaders have hit out at a Brexit-supporting economist after he admitted leaving the EU would “mostly eliminate manufacturing”.

Professor Patrick Minford has been accused of “sacrificing jobs and livelihoods in the region” after saying an exit from Europe would leave Britain “mainly” with industries such as design and marketing.

During a visit to the region, Seema Malhotra, Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, said it would be a “huge risk” for the North East to vote to leave, while others have branded Professor Minford’s remarks “extraordinary”.

Professor Minford, of Cardiff Business School, has previously advocated “running down” the UK auto industry – which would include plants such as Sunderland’s Nissan.

Giving evidence to the Foreign Affairs Select Committee in 2012, he said: “It is perfectly true that if you remove protection of the sort that has been given particularly to the car industry and other manufacturing industries inside the protective wall, you will have a change in the situation facing that industry, and you are going to have to run it down.

“It will be in your interests to do it, just as in the same way we ran down the coal and steel industries. These things happen as evolution takes place in your economy.”

He went on to echo this statement in The Sun recently, writing: “Over time, if we left the EU, it seems likely that we would mostly eliminate manufacturing, leaving mainly industries such as design, marketing and hi-tech. But this shouldn’t scare us.

“Around half of young adults now go to university, ending up in professions such as finance or law, while the making of things such as car parts or carpentry has hugely shrunk — but there will always be jobs for people without sophisticated skills.

“Of course leaving the EU will be difficult, and something that needs careful negotiation, but we must completely withdraw to gain these benefits.”

The former adviser to Margaret Thatcher has said that if Britain does leave the EU, “transitional arrangements” should be made, lasting around 10 years, to help industries such as car manufacturing “adjust”.

But his opponents from the Remain campaign say Brexit would hit the North East economy hard.

Seema Malhotra, Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, was in the region on Thursday and said: “The North East is the nation’s exporter, the only region to deliver a trade surplus, home to Europe’s most productive car-maker and the newest train-builder.

“It would be a huge risk to leave the world’s largest trading bloc.”

Julie Elliott, MP for Sunderland Central, said: “It is astonishing that Professor Minford advocates Brexit while acknowledging that it ‘would mostly eliminate manufacturing’.

“It is clear that the future of the North East’s manufacturing jobs is dependent on our continued membership of the European Union.”

Anna Turley, MP for Redcar, added: “The North East economy is built on manufacturing and the export of goods to the European market and this sustains hundreds of thousands of skilled, well paid jobs.

“Mr Minford seems content to sacrifice these jobs and livelihoods in our region in return for focusing on service industries, a sector which does not produce the same standard of employment.”

Mike Matthews, European Operations Officer at Stockton’s Nifco, said: “I do agree with Patrick Minford on one point – that Brexit would mean the UK’s manufacturing industry would mostly disappear.

“Typically, the pattern of global manufacturers, especially automotive, is make the car where the car is sold, establish the supply chain where the end product is sold – and being in the EU supports this.

“Who would invest in a market of 60million potential customers with potential trade barriers when there’s a market of 500million in the EU with no barriers to face?

“And then how would that gap left by manufacturing be filled? What would replace it as an engine for growth?”