On June 23rd Britons will go to the polls and decide whether the United Kingdom should remain in the EU, residents of Ross-on-Wye and the surrounding villages among them.

Referendums are not like general elections. There are no MPs, no political parties or Prime Ministers to vote for. Their impact runs, not for five years, but for at least a generation. A bad decision cannot be improved only a few years later by voting the other way.

There are no manifestoes, just one question to be answered. In this case: In or Out? The impact of this decision may be starkly different for different people: for the small business owner versus the big corporate executive, for the housewife versus the pensioner, for the student versus the shop assistant.

Everyone has their own opinions, and rightly so. But for referendums especially, there is an overwhelming need for sources of unbiased information and impartial advice, that allow people to make a fully informed decision. In this referendum, such sources are few and far between.

Most of my colleagues have opted to join one camp or the other and are campaigning hard. I hugely respect my colleagues for their views, and ministers in particular are under an obligation to support the Government’s position or declare where they disagree.

But for a backbench MP there is another equally valid and honourable position to take. This is to keep their private vote for the ballot box, and work to assist all their constituents as they make their own decisions.

That is what I will be doing, through newspaper columns and email and public meetings. As your MP I will try to pose questions and provide information that allow you to make a well-informed decision on June 23rd. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

Email [email protected] or call his office on 01432 276422 for more details.

Jesse Norman

MP for Hereford and South Herefordshire