SUSSEX'S fishing fleet have been damaged by national policies and not the EU, Jeremy Corbyn told a Sussex audience last night.

The Labour leader blamed the Government for turning fishing quotas into a "cash cow" during a speech in Hastings.

Mr Corbyn also claimed that the Sussex coastline, which attracted millions of visitors every year, had clean beaches thanks to EU legislation.

The Islington MP was speaking on a good day for the Remain campaign after a high-profile poll by The Daily Telegraph showed a 13-point lead over Leave among voters who definitely intend to vote with a month to go until the referendum.

The ORB poll also showed a 20-point lead for Remain among all voters.

The Labour leader has been a peripheral figure in the EU Referendum to date and last night's address continued an ongoing theme of his speeches to include as much criticism of the Conservative government as support for EU policies.

Mr Corbyn praised beaches as one of the greatest economic and social assets of Hastings and the local area with the

beach tourism worth £3.6 billion per year to the UK economy and a vital lifeline to Sussex seaside towns like St Leonards, Pevensey and Bexhill.

He also promised a Labour government would be committed to reforming the fishing industry, which currently sees almost two thirds of the UK fishing quota owned by just three companies, to the benefit of the small-scale players.

Mr Corbyn said: "The problem for the local fishing community here and around the whole of the UK is not of the EU’s making but this Tory Government.

"They’ve turned the UK fishing quota from a national asset into a cash cow.

"For you here in Hastings that means your small scale fishing fleet, the sustainable under 10m boats, can’t get access to the sea, can’t create the jobs the community needs and can’t contribute to the local and national economy."

The Argus launched its EU referendum coverage yesterday, which will include a debate on June 8 featuring a panel of speakers including Caroline Lucas MP and MEP Daniel Hannan.