DEPUTY leader of UKIP Paul Nuttall said the European Union is “fundamentally undemocratic and un-British” in a public meeting to discuss Britain leaving the EU.

At the meeting, at Bolton Central Library on Saturday, the audience of 25 heard from the UKIP deputy leader and the party’s health spokesman MEP Louise Bours.

Mr Nuttall said: “I think it’s a scandal that over half of our laws are made in a foreign country by unelected politicians.

“Isn’t it appalling that we fought those two world wars in the last century and that people gave their lives to protect British freedom, sovereignty and democracy for the majority of our laws now to be made in secret?

“I think it is shame upon those politicians that gave away something that wasn’t theirs to give — they gave away our sovereignty and we now have the ability to take that back.”

The campaign event was sponsored by the Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy group in the European Parliament (EFDD).

The free-to-attend meeting was one of a series of EU referendum campaign events taking place across the North West over the coming months.

MEP Louise Bours said: “There are reams of regulations, rules and directives made by the EU that simply defy logic.

“The most fundamental one is uncontrolled immigration.

“It is impossible to plan the amount of beds, ambulances, medical equipment, drugs or midwife's we might need because from one day to the next we cannot tell how many people will arrive here to live.

“But the biggest threat posed to the NHS is the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership that Brussels wants to sign with the USA.

“It would take us from a health service that delivers the best for patients to a system motivated by delivering the best private profit.

“We should not be allowing other EU nations to influence our health services let alone investors from a country where some people have to sell their house to obtain life saving treatment.”

Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Sean Hornby, leader of Bolton's UKIP group, said: “It wasn’t the best attended meeting. I think if we had it as more of a UKIP rally then we would have had a far better support.

“But it was an interesting debate and there is a lot of support out there.

“We are the only party in Bolton which is increasing seats and not losing seats and I predict at the next local elections that we will take another three by which case we will double our membership on Bolton Council.”