"We don't need a referendum - we need a change of Government".

So says Nadhim Zahawi the Tory MP for Stratford and Avon on his website's political priorities page. No Nadhim, we need a referendum, and a change of government.

The chap was up against the boss on the Politics Show today and just repeated the absurbd mantra that we need to stay in the EU because we want to trade with it. "I've just been in a meeting with 400 businessmen", he kept on saying "and they want to export to the EU".

Well yes, and what makes home think that we will be unable to export to and import from the EU if we were no longer members? Has he never bought anything produced outside the EU?

This shibboleth needs lancing once and for all, and to help me do so I offer the latest Civitas pamphlet from Ian Milne, which does it all rather well.

As he points out, it we didn't have the hidden tarriff on all our goods sold to the EU (and bought from it) that is the massive subscriptin change for membership - and the associated regulatory and compliance burden, then we would be able to produce goods at a far cheaper rate, and thus be able to work within a free trade agreement with our continental colleagues in a far more preferential manner.

So Mr Zahawi, please explain to those 400 businesses you met at the Coventry and Warwickshire LEP event last week, that their costs would be reduced if we left, and we would retain a free trade agree,emnt, and ask them again if tehy want to be in the EU. I doubt they would all be clamouring to stay in as you absurdly suggested.

Oh and don't you think that as somebody so net savvy that you were a founder of Yougov, you should change your priorities page?