North-East MP James Wharton is to introduce a Westminster bill to make it law that an in-out referendum be held on Britain’s membership of the EU. Chris Webber found out what his constituents thought

IT WOULD be hard to find anywhere more ‘middle England’ than Yarm.

Often, but not always, Conservative-voting, just one per cent of the population is non-white, only three per cent were born outside the European Union and about 26 per cent of the working population earn more than £50,000 a year, according to government statistics.

In other words the town, with its 9,700-strong population right in the heart of Mr Wharton’s Stockton South constituency, is made up of exactly the kind of folk the young Conservative MP with his wafer-thin 300 vote majority, needs to impress.

Walking down Yarm’s picturesque High Street, it was easy to find older people shopping and passing the time near the Georgian Town Hall.

One of them, David Saywell, 66, a retired Prudential worker, described himself as a floating voter.

He approved of Mr Wharton’s move. “This is exactly what he should be doing, forcing this issue. I think he’s right, it is important. We should be out.”

Asked if there weren’t more important issues, Mr Saywell, mentioned immigration, but, tellingly, even that wasn’t what got this life-long voter most passionate. “We need to sort unemployment,” said Mr Saywell, becoming more animated. “It was on the news that 5,000 people applied for 44 jobs in a restaurant at £6.19-an-hour. It’s a disgrace.”

David Oliver, 74, had already heard about Mr Wharton’s parliamentary bill on the news. “It’s a lot of fuss about nothing,” he said. “It’s not going to get through anyway, so it’s a waste of time. But our MP seems to be a busy young man, that’s to his credit.”

Other people pointed to the crammed parking on the street saying their MP should deal with that. Others just said two words, ‘the economy’ when asked what they did care about. However some people who said they weren’t bothered about Europe, did come up with sometimes strong opinions when pressed.

Younger people were hardest to engage but one, Anne Murray, 28, an education researcher, just a year younger than Mr Wharton himself, was eager to talk. “He shouldn’t be doing it and the Tories shouldn’t be making it such an issue. All this talk about Europe will scare the markets, the last thing we need.”

Terry Murphy, once a Labour councillor for Yarm, is now chairman of the Labour Party in Thornaby, a less well-heeled town also making up a large part of Mr Wharton’s constituency. Thornaby is as crucial to Labour’s chances of taking this seat at the next general election as Yarm is to Mr Wharton’s. Mr Murphy attributed cynical motives to Mr Wharton’s bill. “This is a red herring of an issue brought up by the Tories and the London-based media. James is running scared of UKIP. He’s only got a 300 majority and UKIP could get 2,500 votes.”

Mr Wharton himself, declaring he was stressed after a day talking to every major national media outlet, was keen to hear all the details of the local reaction. He said: “I am well aware that, whilst a significant minority care passionately about Europe, it’s not the number one priority for most. I’m not delusional about that. But it does matter...this bill is certainly not a political tactic.”