IT is almost impossible to get a decent cup of tea on the Continent, said David Cameron during a visit last week to the world’s biggest tea bag factory.

It is one of those little Englander, 'up yours Delors' type of remarks that probably plays very well to the right wing of his party with whom Mr Cameron will soon have to grapple over the question of Europe. But he said it during a tour of the Tetley factory at Eaglescliffe, which sends its brew all over the world. I am sure that the tea folk at Tetley would like to think that thanks to their export efforts you can get a decent cuppa all over the world, not just in Blighty. Without realising it the PM's remark undermined the very business he’d come to promote.

Mr Cameron’s off-the-cuff quip can quickly be forgiven. But if he fails to get a grip of the debate over Britain’s membership of the EU then he risks undermining the great work done by exporters across our region who help to support thousands of jobs.

Mr Cameron may fear that Britain's relationship with Brussels is too cosy, but it is vital that the government holds its promised EU referendum sooner rather than later because there is nothing business and investors fear more than uncertainty.

Ian Malcolm, boss of car parts manufacturer ElringKlinger, makes that very point in today’s business feature on page 30.

Exports are vital to the success of the North-East economy. Nearly half of the region's overseas trade is done with members of the EU, supporting an estimated 170,000 North-East jobs.

When I spoke to him last week Mr Malcolm made the point that as part of a multi-national with a strong presence in Germany, an exit from the EU could see firms such as ElringKlinger pull work out of the UK and focus investment and growth at its EU sites. Nissan and Hitachi have both said they could reconsider their investment plans for the UK in the event of what has been dubbed Brexit.

I share Mr Malcolm’s concern that unless politicians take a lead in the debate now, and hammer home the case to stay within the biggest trading bloc in the world, then we could see the emotional, anti-European campaign boil over.

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