#EUrefmidspublished at 22:50 British Summer Time 12 June 2016
We'll be featuring some of your tweets this evening... Why not join in the debate?
Summary
The panel - Leave and Remain - respond to audience questions
Question 1: 'Does the Leave campaign have a racist undertone?'
Question 2: 'Under Brexit, how attractive is the West Midlands for foreign investment?'
Question 3: 'How will working people be affected, whatever the decision?'
Question 4: 'Why doesn't Remain understand strength of feeling over self-governance?'
#EUrefmidspublished at 22:50 British Summer Time 12 June 2016
'Go fish' - not an insult for the other side, but Leave's workforce metaphorpublished at 22:49 British Summer Time 12 June 2016
On the question of immigrant labour, regional chair of the IoD and local businessman Jason Wouhra says a Brexit would make it "difficult to get certain skills that we might be lacking".
Lord Jones has this to say when it comes to workforce: "I want to be able to fish in a reservoir of 100% of the world." He thinks remaining has us "locked into something where we're only fishing from 50%".
Image source, Getty ImagesLord Jones to Hunt: Row rumbles onpublished at 22:47 British Summer Time 12 June 2016
They're not done yet... Lord Jones says of Mr Hunt "the pomposity of this politician is beyond me".
Then he accuses him of "peddling 'maybes' as facts".
No prisoners are being taken. Has the debate started as it means to go on?
Lord Jones to Hunt: 'You're lying'published at 22:45 British Summer Time 12 June 2016
Well, that first question has clearly got under the skin of the panel - there's been quite the feisty exchange between Lord Jones and Tristram Hunt. Things are getting heated.
So what's the issue? Norway... well, sort of.
The former front bencher - who doesn't think concern over immigration amounts to racism - is worried about the ease with which Britain could trade with Europe after a Brexit. We would, he says, have to accept free movement of labour while having no say over the impact. That, he thinks, would make us like Norway - "we will pay and have no say".
But this annoys Lord Jones who accuses him of lying. He wonders what Mr Hunt might say next: "Death of first borns next week and a plague of frogs the week after?"
Remain takes up the immigration issuepublished at 22:43 British Summer Time 12 June 2016
Harriett Baldwin speaks next and says the Brexit side is effectively putting forward an "Australian points-based system, which actually leads to twice the level of immigration".
After that, she makes it about economics; a topic that Mary says we'll come to later. But Harriett manages to say that the way to ensure economic strength is to avoid the "massive economic shock" that a Brexit would cause.
The audience tries a different tactic to limit the length of her comments, crying "nonsense".
Image source, bbcEtheridge says it's about 'managing' immigrationpublished at 22:41 British Summer Time 12 June 2016
UKIP MEP Bill Etheridge is the first to take up the question over immigration and says "let's get this one out the way".
He says the campaign to leave the EU "does not suggest that we dislike immigration or immigrants".
He said: "All we're talking about is managing the situation."
First audience questionpublished at 22:39 British Summer Time 12 June 2016
The first question is in and there's no messing about with this one.
Audience member Nicholas Leach from Lichfield sets us off.
He starts by saying that immigrants contribute more than they receive overall, and then has this to say, drawing groans of dismay from Leave: "So by using immigration to frighten people to vote out, is there a racist undertone to the Leave campaign?"
This is a lively start.
Mary Rhodes is your hostpublished at 22:38 British Summer Time 12 June 2016
Mary Rhodes is your host and will preside over the panel.
The studio audience is "split right down the middle", she says, before reminding you how to get involved on social media - use #EUrefmids.
We smell a question coming on.... Any ideas what the first topic will be?
And for Remain...published at 22:33 British Summer Time 12 June 2016
On the side of Remain tonight are:
- Tristram Hunt is a former frontbencher and currently Labour MP for Stoke-on-Trent Central, as well as being a historian, writer and presenter.
- Jason Wouhra is regional chairman of the Institute of Directors and heads up his family business East End Foods, which has an annual turnover in excess of £180m.
- Conservative MP for West Worcestershire, Harriett Baldwin, was appointed Economic Secretary to the Treasury last year.
Welcome to our panelpublished at 22:32 British Summer Time 12 June 2016
Representing Vote Leave tonight are:
- UKIP MEP for the West Midlands, Bill Etheridge. He was elected in 2014 and sits on the EU Regional Development Committee.
- Labour MP Gisela Stuart is chair of the Vote Leave campaign. She has represented the Birmingham constituency of Edgbaston since 1997.
- Former trade minister and head of the CBI, Lord Digby Jones, sits as a crossbencher in the House of Lords.
Choc tacticspublished at 22:24 British Summer Time 12 June 2016
Feeling peckish this Sunday evening? I wonder how many of you turn to chocolate when tummies rumble - there's just enough time before the programme starts.
But what does the EU mean for a sweet tooth? Here's a feature on chocolate and the rules affecting its taste - including the view from Cadbury in Birmingham.
Image source, Getty ImagesBetter In or Out? A BBC Midlands Today referendum specialpublished at 22:19 British Summer Time 12 June 2016
Vanessa Pearce
BBC Local LiveGood evening and welcome to our coverage of Midlands Today's EU referendum debate.
The programme begins on BBC One at 22:35 and we'll keep you updated with the arguments of both sides, Leave and Remain, and what the issues mean for us here in the Midlands.
I'll shortly be bringing you details of the panel and also point you to content across the BBC's website.