Press Release: PM: Northern Ireland is better off in a reformed EU

Northern Ireland is better off in a reformed European Union, the Prime Minister David Cameron said ahead of his first visit to the region on the 27 February 2016 since the date of the EU referendum was announced the previous week.

With more than 60% of Northern Ireland exports going to the EU, the Prime Minister today warned that leaving the single market of 500 million people would be a 'leap in the dark'.

And with the United Kingdom’s only land border with another EU member state, he warned that access to trade and investment from the EU is particularly important for Northern Ireland.

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The Ulster Unionist Party, Sinn Fein, the SDLP and Alliance party campaigned for the UK to remain in the EU. The Democratic Unionists recommended voters to vote in the referendum to leave the EU.

• Primary Source

ESO: In Focus: Brexit - The United Kingdom and the European Union http://www.europeansources.info/record/brexit-the-united-kingdom-and-the-european-union/

ESO: Background information: EU referendum: impact of an EU exit in key UK policy areas http://www.europeansources.info/record/eu-referendum-impact-of-an-eu-exit-in-key-uk-policy-areas/

UK: Parliament: Parliamentary Business: Committees: Northern Ireland Committee: Inquiries 2015-16: Northern Ireland and the EU Referendum http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/northern-ireland-affairs-committee/inquiries/parliament-2015/eu-referendum/

The Guardian, 25.01.16: Northern Ireland would face 'serious difficulty' from Brexit, Kenny warns http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jan/25/northern-ireland-irish-republic-eu-referendum-enda-kenny

BBC News, 04.03.16: EU referendum: 'Brexit' campaign rally held in Belfast http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-politics-35731778

Belfast Telegraph, 05.03.16: Ulster Unionist Party supports staying in EU http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/ulster-unionist-party-supports-staying-in-eu-34514128.html

Website: EU Debate NI http://eudebateni.org/

EU Debate NI: Briefing Paper: To Remain or Leave? Northern Ireland and EU referendum, 2015 http://eudebateni.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/To-Remain-or-Leave-Northern-Ireland-and-the-EU-Referendum.pdf

Blog: Open Europe, 08.03.16: How might the effect of Brexit on Ireland and Northern Ireland be managed? http://openeurope.org.uk/today/blog/how-might-the-impact-of-brexit-on-ireland-and-northern-ireland-be-managed/

Blog: IIEA, 11.03.16: Brexit – The Evolving Debate in Northern Ireland http://www.iiea.com/blogosphere/northern-ireland-debate-on-brexit

Blog: LSE Brexit Vote, 12.11.15: The EU referendum in Northern Ireland: Good Europeans or sectarian politics as usual? http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/brexitvote/2015/11/12/the-eu-referendum-in-northern-ireland-good-europeans-or-sectarian-politics-as-usual/

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