EU referendum: David Cameron pleads with Express & Star readers after poll

He also urged people in the Black Country and Staffordshire to 'think very carefully' over the referendum on the EU, which he claimed 'represents our values'.

His comments come in the wake of a series of readers' polls that saw around 80 per cent of nearly 50,000 people say they intend to vote 'leave' on June 23.

The Prime Minister said: "I understand that readers are frustrated about the EU and there are some things about it that they don't like.

"It's been too bureaucratic, it has been too interventionalist. People are frustrated with it. But my plea to Express & Star readers would be that just because the EU isn't perfect, it doesn't mean we should quit it.

"When I think of the Black Country, I think of the vast amount of industry and trade that takes place in this part of the country.

"The biggest customer for the West Midlands is the EU. Around 40 per cent of what we make and sell goes there.

"Think of Jaguar and the number of cars that go to the European market.

"If we leave the single market of 500 million consumers, we will inevitably have worse trade terms in the future. That will affect jobs and livelihoods in the West Midlands and make our economy smaller.

"I hope everybody comes to realise that although this organisation is far from perfect, it is good for our economy, it keeps us safe – because we co-operate over security and crime – and actually it allows Britain to get its way in the world because we are part of an organisation that represents our values.

"I hope Express & Star readers will think very carefully, do what I think is the right thing and vote to stay in."

• MORE: See the full Express & Star survey results here

• MORE: Local MPs mixed on survey's Brexit result

• MORE: Express & Star Comment: Poll results will set off alarm bells

PM: Put economy over migrant fears

The Prime Minister has denied he is losing the EU referendum battle over immigration, as he again vowed to reduce the numbers of European citizens coming to live in the UK.

Mr Cameron described dealing with immigration as 'a major challenge', but said the economy, jobs and living standards were more important issues in the referendum debate.

However, he admitted that a third of all new jobs created in the past five years had gone to foreign workers.

Recent opinion polls have shown Brexit neck and neck with those wanting to remain under the EU, with Mr Cameron's alleged failings on dealing with immigration cited as a key reason for many in the 'leave' camp.

The Prime Minister said: "I think we are winning the overall argument that Britain is stronger, safer and better off.

"I totally recognise that immigration is a major challenge. Frankly we have had an extraordinary five years where the British economy has been growing so much faster that other European economies.

"That has created a lot of jobs, two thirds of which have gone to British nationals, and the other third of which have gone to people coming to our country.

"We are starting to see the recovery of other European economies and I am sure that will reduce the number of people coming here.

"But the most important issue in this referendum is the economy and jobs and living standards. All the evidence is the economy will be stronger, we will have higher living standards and more jobs if we stay.

"We don't need to listen to the experts, it is a bit of common sense.

"We're a trading nation and access to our common market is vital for our prosperity and security. Cutting that would be a self-inflicted wound for the British economy and a self-inflicted wound for the West Midlands, where we are currently seeing a growth in jobs and manufacturing."

When asked if he had ever seen the impact of mass immigration on areas such as Dudley, Sandwell, Wolverhampton and Walsall, Mr Cameron said: "I have seen the impact of immigration myself and I would say there are good ways of controlling it.

"I think saying to European nationals that if you want to come here you have got to have a job and if you can't sustain yourself we will send you home.

"That's what we have agreed under my renegotiation. If you do come here you need to work for four years before you get access to the welfare system. I think that is a good way of controlling immigration.

"On the other hand I think a very bad idea is pulling out of the single market and damaging our economy. Far from there being more jobs if we did that, there would be fewer jobs.

"I think pulling out of the EU is the wrong approach. When it comes to housing, the NHS and jobs, those things require a strong economy.

All the authorities and experts agree, whether it is the IMF, the OECD, the Bank of England . . . they all believe that it would damage our economy if we were to leave the single market.

"We'd be less able to fund the NHS and build the hospitals we need, less able to build houses and schools."

He said: "My message is one of hope. Imagine waking up on June 24 when we have voted to stay in.

"At that moment people will have decided our future is in the EU. You'll see a growth in investment, more companies wanting to put money into the West Midlands, make more here, sell more here. It will be a future of opportunity and jobs.

"The years of uncertainty that would follow from an out vote would have the opposite effect."

During Prime Minister's Questions earlier in the day, Mr Cameron hit out at the 'leave' campaigners for putting across mixed messages about immigration, and called the proposed Australian points system for migrants as 'not the right answer for Britain'.

Referring to his live TV debate featuring Nigel Farage, he said: "I'm confused about what it is the leave camp actually want from immigration.

"I thought they wanted less immigration, but now it seems they want more immigration from countries outside the EU.

"If you look at Australia they have twice as much immigration per head as we do here in the UK.

"That's not the right answer for Britain in my view."