Independent front-page repeats EU jobs error

"Quitting the EU 'would hit North and Midlands hardest'" — this was the headline to today's front-page piece in the Independent.

But that isn't a statement supported by the research the article is based on.

This says 4.2 million jobs were associated with exports to EU countries in 2011, and that a higher proportion of jobs in the midlands and the north of England fell into that category.

But as we've explained for similar estimates in the past, this doesn't mean the jobs in question depend on the UK's membership of the EU.

The report makes this clear:

"This piece of research does not imply that the estimated jobs would be lost if the UK were to leave the EU; it is an analysis of demand arising from UK exports to the EU."

And since we don't know how exports or jobs would be affected by an exit from the EU, we don't know what the regional impact on jobs would be.

We've explored the issue in more detail in our spotlight on UK jobs and the EU.