Tuesday 05 April 2016 1:13 pm

EU referendum: How MPs’ backgrounds show they will vote

It's often said there are too many career politicians in parliament, those who don't fully understand the lives of those they represent.

And as the public makes up their minds on the EU referendum, so to do those who sit in parliament.

It is of interest, then, that just 16 per cent of MPs who started their career as a politician want to leave the EU, according to new research.

In fact, when looking at details of all current MPs, as MyVoucherCodes has done, some clear patterns emerge.

Of those politicians that studied at Oxbridge, just 24 want to leave the EU, while 89 want to remain a part of the 28-member bloc. Put differently, 79 per cent of MPs from Oxbridge want to stay in the EU.

There are 53 MPs with a military background, of which 24 want to leave, 10 want to remain and 18 are as yet undecided or have not declared.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, 84 per cent of MPs with immediate family outside the UK would vote to remain in the EU.

According to the research, there are 117 Tory MPs who would vote to stay in the EU against 107 MPs who would vote to leave.

Meanwhile, 210 Labour MPs would back remaining in the EU, and just seven would leave.