A cross-party group of Labour, Conservative and Ukip representatives has launched in a bid to make the Dagenham Brexit voice heard.

Barking and Dagenham Post: Local Ukip leader Peter Harris and chair of Dagenham Conservatives Terry Justice are part of the groupLocal Ukip leader Peter Harris and chair of Dagenham Conservatives Terry Justice are part of the group (Image: Archant)

Former Barking and Dagenham Council leader and current Labour councillor Liam Smith was joined by local Ukip leader Peter Harris and Dagenham Conservatives chairman Terry Justice outside Heathway shopping centre on Saturday morning.

The three, joined by other supporters, handed out more than 2,000 flyers to passers-by as part of a national day of campaigning, organised by Grassroots Out.

“This is a grassroots campaign that spans across parties,” explained Mr Justice. “There were no Ukip, Conservative or Labour badges to be seen.

“This is not about party politics, this is about us standing shoulder-to-shoulder for what we believe is best for our country.”

The launch of the local campaign came just three days after the Post announced the results of our own poll, which saw 400 people vote on the issue.

Although MPs Margaret Hodge and Jon Cruddas, along with council leader Cllr Darren Rodwell, made the case for remaining in the union, 67 per cent of respondents said they wanted Britain to leave.

Just under half, 49.9pc did not think the EU was good for business while 63.9pc thought the UK would be safer from extremism and/or terrorism outside the EU.

While pleased by the results, Mr Justice insists that the serious campaigning is just beginning ahead of the referendum in June.

He said: “I’m hoping that we will be able to persuade more people to come round to our way of thinking so that when the hour comes we will be able to stand together and show that the people of Britain are fed up and want to leave the EU.”