WE THE undersigned, being members of the local business, educational, public and voluntary sector, art world, and religious communities, believe that continued membership of the EU is essential for the future growth, prosperity and security of Cornwall.

We recognise that the near £2bn aid packages Cornwall has received to date from the EU have offset many of the geographic and other disadvantages Cornwall faces in competition with the rest of the country, resulting in a world-class university, big infrastructure improvements and the growth of our knowledge economy; all vital to compensate for the decline in traditional employment areas. We believe that the free market of nearly 500 million people, to which we have unrestricted access, is vital for our new service industries to grow.

Letter from leading figures in Cornwall calls for UK to remain in the EU