During a speech in Dorset County, former London Mayor Boris Johnson said that if the UK left the EU it would create nearly 300,000 jobs due to escaping the “protectionism” of the EU and being able to forge its own trade deals.

Johnson was doing a tour as part of his “Vote Leave” campaign.

"If we vote Leave we will be able to forge bold new trade deals with growing economies around the world. These are deals that the EU has tried and failed to achieve due to protectionist forces in Europe," Johnson said.

The Governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, has a more pessimistic outlook if the UK left the EU and said that a Brexit "could possibly lead to a formal recession", with GDP falling for two consecutive quarters.

However, Vote Leave campaigners have criticised Mr Carney, with one calling for him to resign, reports the BBC.

According to a CBI (Confederation of British Industry) business group study in March, undertaken by services firm PwC, if the UK leaves the European Union, it could cost the UK almost one million jobs and about £100 billion of economic output by 2020.  Meanwhile, Manpower UK has said that leaving the EU would create a skills shortage.