In Thursday’s EU referendum everyone will have their own vote, and make their own decision. We wanted to share with you why the whole Lib Dem team across Prestwich and Bury are voting to Remain on Thursday.

Firstly, we’re voting with our heads.
Everyday realities like jobs, prices and pensions make a massive difference to all of our lives. Across the world economic prosperity can be a fragile thing, as this country has known through recessions, banking crisis and more.

But at the moment we’re lucky enough to be a core part of the word’s most successful trading club. As a result our businesses trade freely with our neighbours. Global companies choose Britain for their European factories, offices and headquarters.

We’re not all economists, but we should listen when the people who do know what they’re talking about (Bank of England, World Bank, International Monetary Fund) when they tell us very clearly that our economy will suffer massively if we leave the EU.

Last week, tens of £billions was wiped off the value of the UK stock market. Most of us don’t have stocks and shares, but most of us do have pensions – all our pensions (private, company, local authority) are invested in that same stock market and lost billions in value last week. That was just the fear of a leave vote, imagine how bad it would be if it actually happened.

Secondly, we’re voting with our hearts
Last year the country remembered the 70th anniversary of the end of the second world war. A war where 60 million people were killed across the world. After that war a devastated Europe came together, working through new institutions like the EU to rebuild our countries and make sure that that never happened again.

It’s not been perfect, but it has worked. Western Europe has seen 70 years of peace and prosperity. After the fall of the Berlin Wall we were able to extend that peace and prosperity to our neighbours in central Europe.

We live in an increasingly dangerous world: terrorism, extremism, global warming and a massively growing global population.

When the history of the 21st century is written we want Britain to be in chapter 1, as a world leader at the heart of working together to solve these challenges, not a country that turns its back and ignores others.

With our heads and our hearts, we’re voting Remain on Thursday.