Little Englanders? Eurosceptics in focus in UK election

"The most difficult thing about the referendum is that the arguments in favour are complicated, economic, numerical and rational," said Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform think tank.

"The arguments against are simple, emotional and romantic: do you want to be ruled by foreigners or not?" he said.

..."The eurozone crisis means that Europe is associated with high unemployment, nasty populist parties, economic failures and bad leadership," Grant said.

"That's the single biggest reason why euroscepticism has done very well recently."

Grant added that UKIP, which came top in last year's European elections in Britain, had also succeeded in associating immigration with the EU in voters' minds.