A WORCESTERSHIRE MP has come out in favour of quitting the EU - saying it would save "£50 million a day" to invest in Britain.

Conservative Karen Lumley has become the first and only county MP to reveal she will not be backing David Cameron and will instead campaign for a Brexit.

Her intervention comes as former Worcester MP Mike Foster, who was the city's most senior politician for 13 years, made an intervention into the debate yesterday - calling for voters to stay the course.

Mr Foster, who lost his seat to Robin Walker in 2010 but still leaves near Holt Health, told your Worcester News the Europe debate was too big to stay out of with "jobs, growth and investment" at stake.

Mrs Lumley's move appears to have surprised many people in her Redditch Conservative Association, with the MP contacting the branch after the weekend's events to inform them of her decision yesterday.

She is now one of at least 138 Conservative MPs who are actively calling for a Brexit - and says part of her reasoning is the cuts facing authorities like Worcestershire County Council.

"I promised the Prime Minister three weeks ago that I would wait to see the results of the negotiations - and I've decided I want to leave," she said.

"I do think he has won some good concessions, however my main issue is over sovereignty.

"We have to look after our own house here - the EU is undemocratic and I think the £50 million a day that is spent running it could be better spent here.

"I would have liked to have us being able to make our own laws in our own country.

"I would also have wanted to see the Working Time Directive to be decided in this country.

"And why do we have two parliaments in two different locations?

"We have a lot of elected politicians who really don’t have a great meaning to the people of the UK."

She is the only county MP to be backing a Brexit and joins Herefordshire MP Bill Wiggin on the 'out' side, who also madde his intentions clear yesterday.

Mr Foster, who became Worcester's first ever Labour MP in 1997, said: "It is clear that being in the EU brings us jobs, growth and investment.

"The EU has helped to secure workers’ rights and make consumers better off too - that’s why Labour is campaigning for Britain to stay in Europe."

He added that he felt David Cameron's reforms were "a sideshow" aimed at "appeasing Tory backbenchers" rather than any meaningful reform.

He said: "It was Labour that made sure that Britain’s EU membership gave British workers’ rights to minimum paid leave, rights for agency workers, paid maternity and paternity leave, equal pay, anti-discrimination laws, and protection for the workforce when companies change ownership."

As the debate rumbled on today Evesham Labour Party joined the 'in' camp, with branch chairman Michael Worrall calling the EU deal "not perfect" but worth staying in for to "influence the rest of the world".

Mid-Worcestershire MP Nigel Huddleston, who is backing the 'in' side, also insisted last night that he had "not heard a convincing argument from the leave camp" at all.

Mr Cameron took his EU campaign to O2's headquarters in Slough, Berkshire today, where he called for a "reasoned debate" with Eurosceptics.

"There's a real danger of job losses," he said. "If you're not certain, don't leave."

On Boris Johnson, who has joined six Government Cabinet ministers in backing a Brexit, he said: "He is a great friend of mine, he is a great mayor of London.

"But on this issue I think he's got it wrong and I think he's reached the wrong conclusion.

"You're going to find this is one where here are some fairly strange bedfellows - it's going to be a strong and passionate debate.

"I would say to anyone who is thinking about this and struggling to decide - I would say come down on the side of security and safety, and because in this reformed EU we know what we get.

"Outside, what do we get? I don't think the people who want to leave are spelling it out."

* See yesterday's SPECIAL REPORT: Robin Walker backs staying IN the EU - and pens open letter to city voters spelling out why