Firms in the East Midlands being urged to vote to leave the EU

Nigel Baxter is spearheading the "Business for Britain" campaign Credit: ITV Central

Firms in the East Midlands are being urged to vote to leave the EU under a new regional campaign being launched today.

Nigel Baxter, the boss of a truck hire company in Nottingham is urging businesses in the East Midlands to vote to leave the European Union (EU), spearheading the "Business for Britain" campaign in the region which launched today.

Mr Baxter's company RH Commercial Vehicles also has sites in Cossington in Leicestershire and Alfreton in Derbyshire.

He says many small and medium-sized businesses in the East Midlands are fed up with bureaucrats in Brussels imposing oppressive regulations and costs on them, and want to see a fundamental change in the UK's relationship with Europe.

Business for Britain also claims the East Midlands sends £1.05 billion to the EU every year, money which it believes would be better spent by the British government.

A new YouGov survey has found 70% of East Midlands smaller businesses want the UK to control negotiating trade deals rather than the EU.

The Prime Minister David Cameron is currently trying to re-negotiate the UK's relationship with Europe ahead of an in-out referendum on the UK's continued membership of the EU by the end of 2017 at the latest.