Obama urges Britain to remain in European Union
US President Barack Obama has called on the United Kingdom to drop Brexit and stay in the European Union (EU), warning that leaving the EU would put London “in the back of the queue” in terms of trade deals with Washington.
Speaking in a joint press conference with British Prime Minister David Cameron on Friday, Obama said the “special relationship” between the two countries makes the Brexit “a matter of deep interest to the United States.”
“The United Kingdom is at its best when it is helping to lead a strong Europe. It leverages UK power to be part of the European Union,” Obama said.
Noting that the US was already working on concluding a free trade agreement with the EU, Obama added that “maybe some point down the line there might be a UK-US trade agreement, but it’s not going to happen any time soon.”
He also warned that divisions ensued by a possible British exit would put in danger the collective security of the US and Europe while harming the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Cameron in response thanked Obama for his advice and said taking a leadership role in the EU did not contradict with Britain’s “special relationship” with the US.
Obama arrived in London on April 21 to tell Britons that issues such as terrorism, migration and economic slowdowns could be tackled more successfully with the UK in the EU.
Pro-Brexit campaigners hit back
Obama’s comments infuriated anti-EU campaigners who accused the US president of interfering in internal UK politics.
London mayor and cabinet member Boris Johnson, who is also one of Britain’s most famous politicians, wrote in an article that Obama's arguments were "incoherent," "inconsistent" and "downright hypocritical."
"The Americans would never contemplate anything like the EU, for themselves or for their neighbors in their own hemisphere. Why should they think it right for us?" Johnson wrote.
The US government and many American banks and other companies fear a Brexit would cause market turmoil and cripple the EU and weaken Western security.
Britons will head to the polls on June 23 to decide on their country’s future in the European Union.
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