Brexit: UK would lose influence and damage prosperity if it leaves European Union, warns Barack Obama

Barack Obama has urged Britain to stay in the European Union, saying the country would lose global influence and damage prosperity in the event of a Brexit. 

 

Speaking in an interview with the BBC last night, the US President suggested the UK's role in the EU was essential for both business and international security. 

 

“Having the UK in the EU gives us much greater confidence about the strength of the transatlantic union, and is part of the cornerstone of the institutions built after [the Second World War] that has made the world safer and more prosperous,” Obama said. 

 

“We want to make sure that the United Kingdom continues to have that influence.”  

 

He added the EU made “the world safer and more prosperous”. 

 

This is not the first time the President has spoken out on the topic. Back in January 2013, he made a personal appeal to David Cameron not to “drift towards the exit”. 

 

Cameron, who has also made it clear he wants the country to remain in the union, has committed to holding a referendum on the matter. 

 

A day after it was confirmed as part of the Queen's Speech, a bill was presented to parliament “to make provision for the holding of a referendum in the United Kingdom and Gibraltar on whether the United Kingdom should remain a member of the European Union”.

 

A Number 10 source said: “It’s right for Britain to have this renegotiation and this referendum to address the concerns that the British people have about Europeand to make sure the British people have the final say about whether we stay in a reformed European Union or leave.”