Hilary Benn spoke at UCL yesterday

Hilary Benn, the MP who enjoyed new-found attention after his speech advocating the bombing of Syria, gave an energetic and impassioned talk to the UCL International Relations Society on the dangers of leaving the EU yesterday evening.

Coming straight from a five-hour debate in parliament on the EU, he seemed tireless in his emotional plea for the UK to stay, when the country makes “the most important decision we will have taken in the last 40 years” on 23^rd June.

He argued inclusion in the EU has brought jobs, economic investment and amplifies the UK’s voice in the world, adding: “We are more interdependent in humankind than we have ever been before. Human circumstances mean we are going to be increasingly bound together, and we’re sunk if we don’t do that.

“You simply can’t deal with these kinds of issues on your own. EU countries come together to cooperate. It would be a folly to step into the unknown.”

It seemed he was preaching to the converted, however, when a vote at the end showed that almost the entire audience were in favour of staying.

Hilary Benn, previously seen as a mouse who never uttered a squeak of dissent, came to prominence after his famous rhetorical speech in favour of Syrian airstrikes back in December, when he defied both his leader Jeremy Corbyn and his father, Tony Benn, a member of the old left.

When asked about the fact that his odds are at 11/2 for the next labour leader on most betting sites, Hilary told The Tab: “I’m not standing for the labour leadership. Don’t waste your money on it.”