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EU exit could boost UK right-wingers: Analyst

Sunday, 21 February 2016 9:50 AM [ Last Update: Sunday, 21 February 2016 10:31 AM ]

The flag of the United Kingdom (L) and that of the European Union (EU) are seen in front of the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, on May 29, 2015. ©AFP

Press TV has interviewed David Ayrton, with the UK Trade Union Movement from London, on the upcoming referendum on whether or not Britain will remain a member of the European Union.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: How significant is the agreement between the EU and the UK? And now the people of the UK have to vote on it. Do you think that the majority of them, as we have seen in some of the poll, want to continue to be a part of the EU?

Ayrton: I think it’s very finely balanced in that this referendum is really about divisions inside the Conservative Party in Britain, which is presently in office.

One wing of the Conservative Party led by David Cameron is more outward-looking in terms of Britain’s role in the world, whereas the section of the Conservative Party in alliance with the United Kingdom Independence Party is extremely nationalist and extremely anti-immigration.

And I think that this is the very reason for the referendum and it will be the latter group, the bellicose nationalist anti-immigrant section, who will be leading the campaign to leave the European Union.

Press TV: In your perspective, what would be the negatives for the UK to leave the union?

Ayrton: I think there would be many negatives, but most importantly there is now the potential that an extreme nationalist right-wing anti-immigrant movement could develop a populist leadership in British politics, which would be to the detriment of the multi-ethnic and multi-cultural society that we have. I think that would be the big negative.

On the positive side, if I might enter into that, I think that it would cut across Britain’s more aggressive role in the world in alliance with the United States, because the United States uses the United Kingdom to intervene into the European Union to do its bidding.

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