The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, Leszek Borysiewicz, has encouraged voters to vote to Remain in the EU in next week’s referendum, in a speech delivered at the college of Europe.

Borysiewicz addressed students at the closing ceremony of the Chopin Promotion 2015-16, held at the Natolin campus in Warsaw.

He began by discussing his Polish heritage, in particular talking about his parents’ immigration to Wales after escaping imprisonment in Siberia following WW2. He then went on discuss both Natolin Campus and Chopin, stating that their successes both lay in being connected to an integrated Europe.

Continuing on with his speech, the Vice-Chancellor discussed various reasons he believed that the UK should part of the EU. He commented on the UK’s geography, urging voters to remember that it was only because of “an accident of geology” that Britain was no longer part of Europe, and thus Britain should remain an EU member.

He then talked about the EU’s contribution to higher education in the UK, stating the UK “received almost 18 per cent of the total funding awarded to all EU countries”, with EU funding accounting for approximately 16 per cent of UK university funding. He also gave what he thought was an example of successful collaborative research, discussing the ANTIGONE programme for study of viruses and bacteria spread by animals.

Borysiewicz did admit that he thought the EU was not a perfect institution; however he said that he believed that the EU can be reformed and improved. He also stated that he thought the referendum was unnecessary, and the idea that a Brexit would be an economically sound was in fact a fantasy.

“One of the most accurate analogies I’ve seen comes from an article published in the Washington Post,” said Borysiewicz “What the Brexit camp is asking for, the article says, ‘is the economic equivalent of quitting your job because you think you can get it back later, minus all the parts you don't like. In other words, a fantasy’”

He said an exit from the EU would squander the good will of our neighbours and described the referendum as “perplexing, alarming, and utterly depressing”.

He also discussed immigration in some detail, stating the Leave campaign showed “an absolute ignorance” regarding basic facts on the matter. He stated that migrants have accounted for a 70 per cent increase in the work force in Europe, and that they contribute more in taxes than they receive in benefits.

He also said that discussions of the immigration crisis had revealed “an absolute failure of the imagination, of empathy, and of vision”. He said he there needed to be a greater consideration for the opportunity that immigration presents for the UK, citing the fact he was “representing one of Britain's leading universities” as an immigrant’s son as an example.

He said that “The “Leave” campaign’s panicked response to losing the economic argument has been to deliberately conflate the issue of the legitimate freedom of movement within Europe with the urgent questions arising from one of the greatest humanitarian catastrophes of our time.”

He also briefly discussed sport in the closing stages of his speech, stating how being able to support both Poland at the European Football Championships and Great Britain at the Olympics was something he was proud to able to do.