Resistance over Britain staying in EU thickens

SBS World News Radio: As Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron makes a case to stay in the EU, London mayor Boris Johnson has again insisted the country has a "great future" outside of it.

Resistance over Britain staying in EU thickensResistance over Britain staying in EU thickens

Resistance over Britain staying in EU thickens

Britain remains divided on whether to leave the European Union.

As Prime Minister David Cameron makes a case to stay in the EU, London mayor Boris Johnson has again insisted the country has a "great future" outside of it.

David Cameron has put the case for staying in the European Union to MPs, warning a vote to leave would hurt working people.

The Prime Minister also ruled out the idea of a second referendum later, proposed by London mayor Boris Johnson.

"This is a vital decision for the future of our country, and I believe we should also be clear that it is a final decision. An idea has been put forward that, if the country votes to leave, we could have a second renegotiation and perhaps another referendum. I won't dwell on the irony that some people who want to vote to leave apparently want to use a 'leave' vote to remain. Such an approach also ignores more profound points about democracy, diplomacy and legality."

His remarks come after he negotiated a deal in Brussels to hand Britain what he called a "special status."

But more than a hundred Conservative MPs say they want to leave the EU, including Boris Johnson.

"There will be plenty of time to talk about Europe and the great future that Britain can have outside the European Union in the next few weeks. I don't think that's the subject for this morning, but, if you will forgive me, I must go and present my last budget."

Meanwhile, Croatian Prime Minister Tihomir Oreskovic has appealed Britain to stay within what he calls "the European family."

"Britain is a key piece of the European family, if I can call it a European family, and I think it would be detrimental to not only Europe, but I think to Britain as well. At the end of the day, we're integrated in many parts. We share many connections, not just financial -- commerce, cultural, obviously the historical ties. I just think it would be a lose-lose, and we need to look at win-wins at the end of the day."

And Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has joked that, if Britain chooses to leave the EU, his country would be more than happy to step in.

"But if Britain leaves, we are ready to replace (it). (laughter ...) But it will not."

Serbian prime minister Aleksandar Vucic says he hopes a British exit from the EU will not happen.

The value of the British pound has tumbled amid uncertainty about the country's future, posting its biggest one-day loss in six years.

The credit rating agency Moody's has warned a vote to leave the EU would threaten Britain's strong credit score, potentially pushing up the cost of government borrowing.

The country will vote on whether to remain in the EU in June.

A decision to leave would shake the European body, taking away its second-largest economy and one of its main military powers.

Bookmakers raised the odds of a British exit to 33 per cent, from about 29 per cent, after Boris Johnson's stand.

 

 


Share

3 min read

Published

Updated

By Brianna Roberts



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world