TREASURY figures suggest the South West would be tipped into recession and see 45,000 jobs lost of Britain left the EU.

The analysis, launched by Prime Minister David Cameron and chancellor George Osborne, claims there would be an “immediate and profound economic shock” across the country after a vote for Brexit.

It says 250,000 jobs in the region are linked to the UK’s exports to other EU countries and that the region has benefitted from £3.4billion of inward investment from EU members over the past five years.

Campaign group Britain Stronger in Europe has lined up a cross-party group of senior politicians in support of the warnings.

They include West Dorset’s Conservative MP, Oliver Letwin; Julie Girling, Conservative Member of the European Parliament for the region, and her Green counterpart Molly Scott Cato; and former Liberal Democrat MEP Sir Graham Watson.

Mr Letwin said: “This report shows very clearly why it is so important for the economy of the south west that the UK should continue to have full access to the free trade single market of the EU.”

Ms Girling said: “The evidence becomes clearer each day: The South West and the whole of Britain will be better off by remaining in the EU.

“When we look at the economic consequences of the referendum, study after study, independent report after independent report points us in the same direction – towards a vote to remain.”

Dr Scott Cato said: “It is clear that in a globalised economy our economic fate is closely tied to that of our near neighbours and we are stronger when we work together within a single market, which is why it makes absolutely no economic sense to leave the EU. But the EU is much more than a free-trade club: it ensures that our economy will move in a more sustainable direction by requiring energy efficient products and fair competition.”

Sir Graham said: “Here in the South West we depend on exports to other EU countries more than most regions. For our region, pulling out would be disastrous.”

But Christchurch MP Christopher Chope, who is backing the Vote Leave campaign, said the Treasury had been “scaremongering”.

“We won’t lose British jobs. When we leave, there will, however, be fewer migrants coming in taking British jobs,” he said.

“If we get control over our borders we will be able to reduce net migration to tens of thousands rather than 300,000 each year.

“The Remain camp concede that wages will rise when we leave because there will not be the undercutting of the labour market by the large numbers of people from Europe who can come here as a right at the moment to seek work,” he added.

“I’m not against immigration but what I am against is having the wrong sort of people coming. If there are gaps in our labour force, let’s fill them by choosing from across the world.”