Two of Britain’s most prominent Brexit campaigners endorsed a second referendum on leaving the European Union on Thursday as the best way to stop EU supporters from trying to water down, or even halt, the country’s departure from the bloc. Britons shocked the political establishment in June 2016 by voting 52 to 48 percent in favour of ending more than four decades of political, economic and legal ties with the EU. But, with the nation still deeply polarised, disillusion over the complexity of withdrawal setting in and pessimism about the economic impact of Brexit rising, many in the fervently anti-EU camp fear an eventual “soft” withdrawal that would keep key ties and foil any clampdown on immigration. Nigel Farage, a central figure in the “Leave” campaign ahead of the referendum and in its surprise outcome, said he was warming to the idea of holding a second vote to settle the argument on whether leaving was the right decision or not. “Maybe, just maybe, I’m reaching the point of thinking that we should have a second referendum … on EU membership,” the former leader of the small U.K. Independence Party told Channel Five’s “The Wright Stuff” show. “I think if we had a second referendum on EU membership we’d kill it off for a generation. The percentage that would vote to leave next time would be very much bigger than it was last time round.” Opinion polls show little sign of a change of heart among voters. A poll in December… [Read full story]
LONDON: Prime Minister David Cameron will seek Monday (Feb 22) to persuade lawmakers that Britain's future lies in the European Union, as he squares up for a referendum fight against charismatic London mayor Boris Johnson.The Conservative leader will present to parliament the reforms secured at an EU summit in Brussels last week which he argues give Britain "special status" and are enough reason to vote to stay in the 28-member bloc in a June 23 referendum.But he is facing a major challenge in Johnson, a Conservative rival who manages to reach across the political divide and is tipped as a…... [read more]
Eurosceptics in other member states applauded Britons' decision to leave the European Union in a referendum that sent shockwaves around the world, with far-right demands for a similar vote in Slovakia underlining the risk of a domino effect. With the referendum decision finally made on Thursday and Prime Minister David Cameron having announced his resignation, European politicians and institutions felt free to shower demands on Britain over its future outside the world's largest trading bloc. The European Central Bank said Britain's financial industry, which employs 2.2 million people, would lose the right to serve clients in the EU unless the…... [read more]
The government is under pressure to fill a vacuum left when Cameron announced he would resign by October after Britain ignored his advice and voted to leave the 28-member bloc in last week's referendum.Triggering a leadership battle that could draw in some of his closest advisers, Cameron urged ministers to work together in the meantime. But he also formed a separate unit, staffed by public servants, to help advise Britain on its departure and its options for a future outside the EU."Although leaving the EU was not the path I recommended, I am the first to praise our incredible strengths…... [read more]
The vote, which echoes the rise of populism in Europe and the United States, will shape the future of Europe. A victory for "out" could unleash turmoil on financial markets. "It's very close; nobody knows what's going to happen," Prime Minister David Cameron told Wednesday's Financial Times, with opinion polls showing the rival camps neck and neck. Thursday's vote will take place a week after the murder of ardently pro-EU lawmaker Jo Cox shocked the country, raising questions about the tone of an increasingly bitter campaign. Much of the debate has boiled down to two issues: the economy and immigration.…... [read more]
The "Out" campaign stood three points ahead of "In" in each of the two surveys for the Guardian newspaper, one of which was conducted online and the other by telephone.They were conducted over three days to May 29 after official figures showed on May 26 that British net migration hit the second highest level on record last year. Last week, leaders of the Out camp turned their focus back on migration.Britons will vote on June 23 on whether to remain in the 28-member EU, a choice with far-reaching consequences for politics, the economy, defense and diplomacy in Britain and far…... [read more]
