PwC’s Andrew Sentance has a very unusual reason for wanting to stay in the EU
And you thought Ukippers had weird reasons for backing Vote Leave.
Bank of England Governor Mark Carney may be facing a backlash after voicing economic concerns over a potential Brexit, but one former Monetary Policy Committee member doesn't mince his words.
Andrew Sentance, senior adviser at PwC and former MPC member, came out in favour of staying in the EU today on the basis that his lawnmower works perfectly.
Mowed lawn today with my EU-regulated lawnmower. Did the job pretty well. So why is EU regulation so bad? Perhaps #VoteLeave can explain.
— Andrew Sentance (@asentance) May 15, 2016
Sentance may think the grass is greener on the other side of the English Channel, but the Institute of Economic Affairs' head of policy remains unconvinced. Ryan Bourne of the IEA said he doesn't see "why you need EU political union for lawnmower regulation".
Read more: This Ukip MEP has an unusual reason to leave the EU
Household appliances are a divisive issue in central politics. Earlier this year Scotland's only UKIP MEP declared his loyalty to the Brexit movement was largely based on his EU-regulated toaster's poor performance.
"Don't you know about these EU toasters?" raged MEP David Coburn. "They’ve turned them all down and that’s why you can’t get decent toast. My old toaster seemed to be powered by the Torness nuclear reactor and this one is powered by some kind of EU windmill."
Read more: The Queen backs Europe(an Refrigeration)
Asked if he has ever had issues preparing his morning toast, Sentance told The Capitalist: "Our toaster works fine, like our lawnmowers. EU product regulation supports trade, competition and maintains standards."