THIS Thursday's EU referendum has split the opinion of one family.

Secretary of State for Scotland, David Mundell and his son, the local MSP for Dumfriesshire, may belong to the same political party, but the future of the UK's EU membership is a topic which has divided their opinions.

Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale & Tweeddale MP, David Mundell said: "On Thursday, we will once again take part in a referendum about the future of our country.

"Thankfully, it isn’t a rerun of the Scottish Independence Referendum but instead on the UK as a whole and their membership of the European Union.

"I firmly believe that it is in the best interests of everyone in our area, and everyone across our country, for us to stay in the EU."

He explained: "The risks of leaving are just too great, and the potential damage a 'Brexit' would do to our economy, to local people's jobs and mortgages, are too severe.

"Hundreds of thousands of jobs in Scotland - many in our areas - depend on our access to the EU's single market. What would happen to the families who rely on those jobs for their livelihoods if we were to pull out of the EU?"

Mr Mundell added: "Some say that the UK would still have full access to the single market if we voted to leave. But those countries which do have access to the single market outwith the EU still have to accept the free movement of people and all the rules and regulations of the market - which is meant to be the whole point of Brexit to escape.

"Others say that losing our free and unrestricted access to a single market of 500 million people, which represents an export market for Scottish firms worth £11.6 billion, will leave us no worse off. That sounds to me like it's too good to be true.

"We are much better off having a voice and a vote in the EU's decision making process than being shut outside, with our noses pressed against the glass, looking on as other countries set the rules in their own interests, which our firms still have to follow.

"I am confident that when people come to vote on Thursday they will consider carefully the clear benefits and strengths of EU membership on the one hand, and the uncertainty and risk of leap in the dark to Brexit on the other."

However, Mr Mundell's son, the newly elected MSP for Dumfriesshire, Oliver Mundell will vote against his father as he backs a 'Brexit'

Oliver Mundell said: "When it came to vote in the Scottish Independence Referendum on September 18 2014, I had no hesitation in voting to remain part of our United Kingdom.

"Like many people across Dumfriesshire, I see the benefits of cross-border ties every day both in a cultural and economic sense. The United Kingdom is at its heart a Union that works. It is a Union that means something to me – both heart and head.

"In contrast, the European Union seems broken, insignificant and distant. For me the EU is too remote and out of touch with our way of life and I just don’t see that changing. The EU and its commissions seem to be far too focussed on big global companies, big global issues and its own agenda rather than the distinct needs of our rural communities. It incentivises industrial farming, it places a large burden of regulation on small businesses and manufactures and it sees too many decisions taken by unelected bureaucrats.

"I don’t deny there are risks in leaving but I also recognise there are also big risks in staying. The EU, unlike the UK, is not stable. It has changed dramatically and unpredictably since we joined just four decades ago. Unlike as part of the UK, I don’t think we punch above our weight; instead we contribute beyond our means and in excess of our share. Our policy priorities and values get diluted and side-lined as part of a 28-member block.

"Indeed, who knows what the EU will look like next year let alone in another 40 years’ time? What will happen with the floundering Eurozone? Will we have to join an EU army? How much more will we need to contribute? How many more laws will be decided by politicians we didn’t elect?

"I am voting to leave on Thursday because it is time we take back control and take responsibility for our own future. I want to see us focus our energies on building a strong United Kingdom. Let’s build on a union that works rather than give away more money and more power to a European Union that is too bossy, undemocratic and protectionist."