Monmouth MP David Davies will vote for Britain’s exit from the European Union (EU), saying it is “time to put power over policies back in the hands of the British public”.
He is concerned about a “lack of democracy” in the EU and announced his decision after the Prime Minister outlined his proposed reform package.
The Conservative MP warned David Cameron’s draft deal will deliver “very little” for the UK and does not go far enough.
“I have long had concerns about the lack of democracy in the EU due to the fact laws are chiefly made by unelected commissioners rather than by MEPs,” he said.
"I also worry about the lack of financial accountability. Their own auditors have not been able to sign off EU accounts for years. If they were a company they would have been investigated and closed.”
Mr Davies, who serves as a member of the UK delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, has numerous other concerns about Britain’s membership of the EU - including the issue of immigration.
He added: “It is an outrage that under EU rules we are forced to pay British child benefit to families of children living overseas.
“Our immigration rules are being abused by people in sham marriages with the backing of the European courts who have indicated that people trying to enter the UK illegally cannot be detained.
“Worse is to come with suggestions that the EU will expect all countries to take an even share of the millions of mainly young men who are illegally entering Europe, often for purely economic reasons.”
Mr Davies is also unhappy over the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), a trade treaty being negotiated between the EU and the United States, which he fears could give more power to courts and tribunals based outside the UK.
On this issue, he said he has support from rival Labour voters in Monmouthshire.
And he played down two key arguments to stay in the EU.
“The first is that free trade is important,” said Mr Davies.
“I fully support the principle of a free trade area in Europe and there is no reason at all why we cannot negotiate this from outside of the EU.
“Given that we buy more from the EU than they do from us, it would actually be in their interests to make this happen.
“I also understand the concerns of farmers regarding the Basic Payment Scheme. However, we pay around £20bn into the EU each year and only get around £10bn back – meaning we could easily afford to put in place our own agriculture schemes and leave out the red tape.
“Many of those campaigning for Britain to remain a part of the EU are the same people and organisations who predicted doom if we kept out of the Euro. They were wrong then and are wrong now.
“We are the fifth largest economy in the world and one of the birthplaces of modern European democracy.
“It is time to put power over policies back in the hands of the British public.”
*The UK will vote on whether to remain in the EU on Thursday, 23rd June 2016*