Lib Dem leader and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage debated the UK’s membership of the European Union in a live TV and radio broadcast hosted by LBC radio on Wednesday evening.
The debate, proposed by Nick Clegg, was moderated by LBC presenter Nick Ferrari. The second part of the debate will be held next Wednesday 2 April.
According to a YouGov poll for the Sun, 57% of the public thought that Farage emerged victorious. However, former Lib Dem leader Lord Ashdown claimed that only “the British public won”, and added that the two “unequivocal losers” were the Conservatives and Labour who were “too divided” to participate.
The debate opened and closed with both politicians offering a concise account of their position and key arguments. Clegg highlighted that the debate is about the people and their jobs, claiming “if we cut ourselves off from Europe, from the countries we trade with more than anyone else, then our hard economic recovery will simply be thrown away”. Farage underlined that Britain would be better off without the EU: “let’s be friendly with Europe, let’s trade with Europe, but not be governed by their institutions”.
Clegg said that 3 million jobs were linked to the UK’s membership and added that “50% of our exports go to Europe”, which he described as the “world’s largest economy”. He warned that foreign investment would decline if the UK were to revoke their membership, quoting Siemens, Nissan and Ford as examples. Farage rebuked by reminiscing about the introduction of the Euro: “I remember, Nick, you and all your gang – all the big corporates – all telling us 12 years ago that if we didn't join the euro, all inward investment would cease, the City of London would disappear. All I can say is thank God we didn't listen to you, otherwise we would have been in one hell of a mess.”
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Farage and Clegg discussed various topical issues including a referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU, immigration, same sex marriage and Ukraine, but the debate heated up when it turned to immigration. Farage said that “485 million people have the total, unconditional right to come to this country” and he insisted that due to the eastern European countries the UK has a “massive over-supply of labour” and people working in trades such as the building industry have “seen [their] wages go down over the last 10 years as the cost of living has gone up and that is not fair on working people in this country”. Clegg, however, claimed that the NHS would “collapse” without foreign workers.
Danny Alexander, the Liberal Democrat chief secretary to the Treasury, said that no one else “is standing up for Europe in British politics like the Lib Dems are doing." UKIP Director of Communications Patrick O'Flynn said: "This was a thumping victory for UKIP and the people against the pro-EU establishment. [...] Now we look ahead to the next debate on BBC2, 7PM on April 2nd. Bring it on!"