THE European Parliament probably changes people’s lives more than the House of Commons, Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg said yesterday.

He was speaking in Gateshead, as he launched the Liberal Democrats’ North- East campaign for the European elections, to be held on Thursday, June 4.

With turnout expected to be low amid an atmosphere of apathy and disinterest, Mr Clegg insisted the vote was “really important”, with “quite a lot” at stake.

He said: “It is important people pause and think about whether these elections are important or not.

“The European Parliament probably achieves more changes in this country than the House of Commons in some ways. It is not true that it has not got enough powers.”

Mr Clegg said the three priorities of his party’s campaign – the economy, crime and climate change – could only be solved by countries working together.

“If you are worried about protecting your family from crime, climate change or the credit crunch, how are you going to do that?

“We are not going to beat international crime rings, regulate international banks or stop climate change on our own.

“We need people in Europe who will get the best out of Europe for the North-East, Yorkshire and the rest of the country.

“David Cameron will not do that; Gordon Brown cannot do it. Only the Lib Dems will deliver.”

Speaking at the Baltic art gallery, he told The Northern Echo: “The European Parliament can seem indirect and distant.

“Maybe because of the nature of the economic crisis, people will see we need to look beyond Britain so that we can do the right thing for Britain.”

Fiona Hall, the Lib Dem MEP for the North-East, said people in the region should take an interest in the elections because it is a marginal constituency, where every vote counts.

About 375 million people from 27 countries will be eligible to vote in the elections, to be held across the Continent between June 4 and 7.

In the North-East, there are three seats. The Labour Party, the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats each hold one.

The Yorkshire and the Humber region has six MEPs – two Labour, two Conservative, one Lib Dem and one UKIP MEP.

Visit aboutmyvote.co.uk for election details.