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Jeremy Corbyn’s EU speech - Summary and analysis
Merkel says UK will lose out if it leaves the EU
This blog is now closed - We’re covering David Cameron being grilled on Sky News on a new live blog
5.11pm BST
5.09pm BST
This is from Google Trends on the Corbyn speech.
"Was the Jeremy Corbyn speech for the Leave campaign?" Top questions following @jeremycorbyn's #EUref speech pic.twitter.com/KYTqlKxyXW
5.08pm BST
According to the Sun, there’s a leak at Vote Leave HQ. Water is reportedly pouring through the roof ...
4.52pm BST
For an alternative view, try Economists for Brexit. They held a briefing this morning, attended by the Conservative MP David Davis and the Ukip leader Nigel Farage, among others, and they argue that mainstream economists who claim that Brexit will hurt the UK economy all assume the government would continue to impose tariffs on imports.
In a press notice, Professor Patrick Minford, EfB’s co-chair, explained:
In recent weeks there has been a relentless stream of output from modelling groups on the topic of Brexit - all of it negative. This has included long-term and short-term reports from not merely the Treasury but also CEP at LSE, PWC, Oxford Economics, the NIESR, the OECD and the IMF. The common element in the consensus outside EfB is that after Brexit, under the WTO option, the UK continues to maintain protectionist tariffs and other trade barriers against the rest of the world, including the EU. By contrast, EfB assumes unilateral free trade after leaving the EU.
What has emerged from considering all these approaches used by different modelling groups, is that they all assume post-Brexit, the pursuit of protectionist policies on imports by the UK. This reduction of the scope of free trade predictably would damage UK output and productivity whatever methodology is used.
4.41pm BST
The LSE’s Centre for Economic Performance has published a report looking at how the costs of Brexit would be distributed across income groups (pdf).
It argues that all households would lose out, because prices would rise, but that the pain would be spread relatively evenly.
Looking solely at the ‘static’ short-run impact of trade, the income (not GDP) of the average UK household would drop by 1.8% (£754) per year in our most ‘optimistic’ scenario where the UK joins countries like Norway in the European Economic Area. Income would fall by 4% per year (£1,637) if the UK were to trade under World Trade Organization rules (in our more realistic ‘pessimistic’ scenario). If we take account of the longer-run dynamic effects of Brexit on productivity, the average household would lose between 6.1% and 13.5% of their real incomes per year (£2,519 to £5,573).
For the poorest tenth of households (the bottom decile), real income losses would be 1.7% to 3.6% in the short run and 5.7% to 12.5% in the long run. For the richest households, the short-run losses would be 1.8% to 3.9% and the long-run losses 6% to 13.4%. These are only very slightly smaller than the losses suffered by the middle classes.
4.23pm BST
This is interesting. It’s from today’s FT.
Today's uncontrollable shuddering about the European referendum is brought to you by the FT. pic.twitter.com/kcxgI9kli0
4.13pm BST
Here is the Guardian’s Politics Weekly podcast, with Rowena Mason, Gary Younge, Jon Henley and Rafael Behr discussing the EU referendum campaign and the Vice News fly-on-the-wall documentary about Jeremy Corbyn.
Related: Brexit's poll lead, Corbyn's Vice film, French strikes – Politics Weekly podcast
4.09pm BST
Here is my colleague Rowena Mason’s story about the Electoral Commission admitting the some non-British EU nationals have wrongly been sent EU referendum ballot papers.
Related: Referendum voting papers sent to some EU nationals by mistake
Some EU nationals have been wrongly sent postal votes and polling cards for the UK’s referendum because of a “systems issue”, the Electoral Commission has said.
The mistake means a number of EU nationals will have their votes cancelled and receive letters explaining they are not eligible to take part in the 23 June poll after all.
3.34pm BST
Britain Stronger in Europe has put out this statement from Sir Nigel Sheinwald, a former ambassador to the US and a former permanent representative to the EU, welcoming Angela Merkel’s comment about how Britain would lose out if it left the EU. He said:
Yet another major ally has said that Britain is stronger, safer and better off in Europe.
Leave campaigners have repeatedly cited Germany as evidence of how easy it would be to renegotiate a trade deal with the EU, but this strikes a hammer blow to that argument.
3.27pm BST
Bob Geldof has featured in a video campaign launched by a pro-remain group seeking to mobilise the support of close to half a million Irish people entitled to vote in the referendum on the UK’s EU membership.
The Youtube video - which draws on the viral ‘Ring Your Granny’ campaign strategy which encouraged young Irish people to mobilise their relatives during Ireland’s marital equality referendum - features alternating ‘self shot’ clips by Irish people listing others who they will be lobbying to register by a 7 June deadline.
3.21pm BST
Jeremy Corbyn argued in his speech this morning that it was important to remain in the EU to protect workers’ rights. The Trade Union and Socialist Coalition, a fringe leftwing group, is arguing the opposite. It is holding a meeting in London tonight and, ahead of that meeting, TUSC’s Paula Mitchell released this statement.
The Trade Union Act has just been passed – the most draconian anti-trade union legislation yet seen in Britain. The EU has not prevented the Tories driving this through. Workers in France are fighting an almighty battle against new labour laws. Far from curbing the French government, the EU Commissioners have urged this attack on.
Trade unionists can have no faith in an undemocratic capitalist club to protect our rights. Everything we have, we have fought for, and we will need to do so again.
3.10pm BST
Related: Have you experienced issues registering to vote in the EU referendum?
According to the BBC, the Electoral Commission has admitted that some ballot papers have been sent to the wrong people.
oh dear, Electoral Commission has written to regional counting officers, admitting IT glitch has meant wrong people have been sent ballots
Not possible to know how many, although numbers likely to be small , dosnt' exactly inspire confidence in the system tho!
3.04pm BST
Andrew Neil may not be the BBC’s official lead political interviewer (presumably BBC management are a bit twitchy about his role with the Spectator, and his past as an opinionated Murdoch editor) but there is no one at the corporation who turns up to an interview better briefed, or who is less likely to miss the weak spot in a politician’s argument. Which explains why it is so rare that he gets the chance to interview someone like David Cameron.
But he is going to do four big interviews as part of the BBC’s EU referendum coverage. One, with George Osborne, has already been announced. Now we have the final list.
2.46pm BST
Britain Stronger in Europe has rejected Liam Fox’s claim that leaving the EU could make it easier for young people to buy a home, because the government would be able to cut immigration. (See 8.50am.) It put out this statement from Tim Farron, the Lib Dem leader.
A vote to Leave Europe will destroy young people’s hopes of getting on the housing ladder. People have legitimate concerns about immigration but these are not going to be answered by wrecking our economy – risking job losses and higher prices.
Leaving would mean fewer jobs, higher prices and lower pay, making deposits harder or impossible to build up. And it means higher mortgage payments making first time loans less affordable.
2.32pm BST
Here are some more pictures from Boris Johnson’s visit to the cattle auction in Lancashire.
2.27pm BST
Katya Adler, the BBC’s Europe editor, thinks Angela Merkel’s intervention has been deliberately restrained.
#Merkel tiptoes around #Brexit subject today. Wants #UK to stay in #EU. Fears a 'foreigner' saying that could send voters the other way
2.25pm BST
Ellie Mae O’Hagan has written an article for the Guardian about the relations between Jeremy Corbyn and the media, prompted by the hissing of Laura Kuenssberg. She thinks that, for all the media’s fault, Labour should still try to work with them.
Related: Labour must stop booing the media – they’re Jeremy Corbyn’s best hope | Ellie Mae O’Hagan
Utterly ridiculous to think the BBC is out to get Labour & distasteful to see a BBC journo booed for doing her job. https://t.co/8RfJqlXKoR
Journalists are people doing their job. A party that stands up for workers' rights should not allow them to be booed and hissed at. End of.
Labour closed play last night by going on about Hitler, and opened the batting this morning by booing the BBC. So proud.
There's so much wrong with the way Britain is run, but the BBC isn't on the list.
1.59pm BST
Mario Draghi, president of the European Central Bank, has said this afternoon that Britain should stay in the EU. This is from the ECB’s Twitter feed.
Draghi: The ECB has a view that the UK should remain in the EU. Both the UK and the EU benefit.
Related: ECB president Draghi says Brexit vote is downside risk to global economy - live
1.46pm BST
ITV has a full story on Angela Merkel’s intervention. Here is the key quote.
You will never get a really good result in negotiations, particularly on very important issues, when you’re not in the room and giving input.
I personally hope and wish that Britain will stay part and parcel of the European Union.
1.39pm BST
This is what Reuters have filed on Angela Merkel’s comments.
Germany wants Britain to stay in the European Union, chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday, adding it would be better for Britons if London can wield power from within the 28-member bloc rather than from the outside.
Merkel made her comments at a news conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Berlin.
1.36pm BST
This is from Bloomberg’s Robert Hutton.
NEWS: Merkel has weighed in on Brexit. Short version: it's up the the UK, but you won't get a better deal by leaving.
1.34pm BST
This is from the BBC’s Berlin correspondent Jenny Hill.
Angela Merkel warns Britain it will be much harder to negotiate issues of the single market from outside of the EU
1.33pm BST
This is from the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg.
Fascinating thing about Merkel's intervention is a few weeks ago German sources were saying privately that she wasn't minded to say anything
1.30pm BST
Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, has spoken out about Brexit.
In last few mins, Merkel has weighed in on Brexit, 'you'll never get the results you want if you're not in the room'
1.26pm BST
Earlier Boris Johnson and his Vote Leave Tory colleagues, Michael Gove and Priti Patel, visited Farmhouse Biscuits in Nelson, Lancashire, a biscuits factory. The trip seems to have been scheduled entirely around a single pun, because this is what Johnson had to say.
I’ve never seen so much dough in all my life.
But never forget - no matter how much dough they have here, it’s nothing like the dough we are sending to Brussels every day: £50 quids worth, £350m a week over which we have no control.
1.15pm BST
David Cameron is taking part in a Sky EU referendum event tonight (we’ll be covering it live, of course), but it has also been announced that BuzzFeed News and Facebook will hold a “town hall event” (a Q&A, basically) with him on 10 June.
Commenting on it, Cameron said:
The referendum on 23 June is the most important vote in our country for a generation and the BuzzFeed News and Facebook event is a great chance to debate what sort of future we want for our country.
12.57pm BST
Earlier Boris Johnson sold a cow at the cattle market.
Boris Johnson has just sold this cow for £960. pic.twitter.com/oRTb8uklps
Quite difficult to hear questions above the mooing but I think a farmer has just said he doesn't trust Boris promises about subsidies
Again Boris Johnson making promises about what will happen post Brexit when he is not actually in a position of power to do so (yet)
12.51pm BST
This is from the FT’s Jim Pickard.
Senior Labour figure says Corbyn speech amounts to "sabotage" of Remain camp.
12.47pm BST
Here is the New Statesman’s Stephen Bush on Jeremy Corbyn’s speech. And here is an excerpt.
On that metric, Corbyn’s speech today went very well. He made enough pro-EU noises to make grumbling from Labour’s more committed pro-Europeans look insurrectionist rather than constructive. He chucked a bit of red meat at his core supporters, bashing TTIP – a treaty that is now looks to be dead on arrival in any case - and re-announcing that a Labour government would renationalise the railways. And, crucially, he did just enough to hint to those few Labour MPs and activists who are anti-European that he might just possibly remain on their side, really ...
And just as the Prime Minister’s skill in holding his party together will be largely underappreciated until after he’s gone, Corbyn’s tightrope-walk is further evidence that he is a better player of the game of Labour politics than many of his opponents might wish.
12.43pm BST
Boris Johnson is speaking now at a Vote Leave event in Clitheroe, in Lancashire, at what seems to be a cattle market.
He says, if we left the EU, the government would maintain its support for farmers.
12.32pm BST
With the voter registration deadline for the referendum approaching, we are looking into reports of confusion with the process and with postal votes. To help us understand how widespread - or not - these issues are, let us know if you’ve been affected by any problems with registering to vote.
12.11pm BST
Jeremy Corbyn has been criticised in some quarters for not being willing to campaign alongside David Cameron for EU membership but after today’s speech any such complaints are totally superfluous. Corbyn and Cameron could never share a platform because, in relation to their views on the EU, there is virtually no overlap at all.
It is said by people who know him well that Corbyn would privately be quite happy to leave the EU (a view that he has has helped to substantiate by stressing that his position now is partly dictated by what the Labour party thinks) and some of the passages in this speech devoted to listing the benefits of the EU did sound half-hearted. But, given that he is not a Mandelsonian Europhile, it would be a great mistake to pretend that he was. Instead, Corbyn has identified a Remain argument that he can make with 100% conviction. He may not be opposed to Brexit, but does believe a Tory Brexit (ie, Brexit, combined with a Tory government likely to see this as an opportunity for a deregulatory free-for-all) would be “a disaster for the majority of people in Britain”. That’s not a case he could make credibly standing alongside Cameron.
There are just three weeks to go until the referendum vote on 23 June, but too much of the debate so far has been dominated by myth-making and prophecies of doom. In the final stage of this referendum, as we get closer to what is expected by many to be a very tight vote, it does not help the debate over such a serious issue if the hype and histrionic claims continue or worse intensify ...
Just over a week ago, George Osborne claimed that the British economy would enter a year-long recession if we voted to leave. This is the same George Osborne who predicted his austerity policies would close the deficit by 2015. That’s now scheduled for 2021.
Too often the British government has had to be dragged kicking and screaming into acting to protect our own environment. As we know, we have a prime minister who has lurched from ‘hug a husky’ when he became Tory leader to, a decade on, ‘gas a badger’ and ‘poison the bees’. “Britain has dragged its heels, so much for David Cameron’s rhetoric of ‘leading the greenest government ever’.
11.19am BST
Here’s a clip of Laura Kuenssberg’s question, and the moment she was hissed by Labour supporters.
11.06am BST
Global Justice Now, a campaign group, has welcomed Jeremy Corbyn’s statement about Labour’s opposition to TTIP. In a statement Nick Dearden, its director, said defeat of the deal was now “a real possibility”.
10.56am BST
Q: [From the FT’s Jim Pickard] You said George Osborne’s warnings about recession are histrionic. Do you think there would be no negative effects from Brexit?
Corbyn says there would be effects. But we have to have a serious discussion, not deal with the whole thing “on the basis of a fear agenda”, he says.
10.54am BST
Q: [From Channel 4 News’ Gary Gibbon] If TTIP were signed before the referendum, could you support Remain.
Corbyn says that is a hypothetical question.
10.50am BST
Q: A lot of people do not know about workers’ rights, and how they are relevant. What can we do about this? And how would you extend workers’ rights.
Corbyn says the posting of workers’ directive is important. And he says the agency workers directive needs to be toughened. And he calls for some tightening of TUPE, the transfer of undertaking (protection of employees) rule.
10.45am BST
Corbyn says we need to do more about air quality. If we do not take action, how many more children will have harmed lung capacity, he asks.
He says you can only deal with environmental pollution by working together.
10.42am BST
Corbyn is now taking questions from Labour activists in the audience.
Q: Are the Tories determined to slash workers’ rights if we leave the EU?
Question from the floor for Corbyn: "just how evil are the Tories?" (I only paraphrase slightly)
10.39am BST
The BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg gets called.
She gets hissed by some in the audience. Corbyn urges people to stop.
10.36am BST
Q: [From Sky] Are you in danger of muddying the waters by attacking the Remain camp hype?
Corbyn says he does not accept that. He is putting a serious case for staying in the EU, he says.
10.36am BST
Corbyn is now taking questions.
Q: [From ITV’s Chris Ship] If Labour voters are key to winning the referendum, why do only half of them know the Labour party supports Remain. And can you say hand on heart you have campaigned as hard as you can for Remain?
10.33am BST
Corbyn is getting a standing ovation.
10.32am BST
Corbyn is now wrapping up.
There is an overwhelming case to remain and reform so that we build on the best that Europe has achieved.
But that will only happen if we elect a Labour government, committed to engaging with our allies to deliver real improvements in the lives of the people of our country.
10.32am BST
Corbyn turns to immigration, and he says Labour would re-establish the migrant impact fund.
On migration, we cannot deny the inevitable; we live in a smaller world. Most of us in Britain know someone who has studied, worked or retired abroad. We have reciprocal arrangements with the European Union. Our citizens, well over one million of them, live in other EU countries and EU citizens come to live and work here.
But it is not that simple, I’ve already talked about how some industries are affected by the undercutting of wages and the action that can be taken to tackle that. But some communities can change dramatically and rapidly and that can be disconcerting for some people. That doesn’t make them Little Englanders, xenophobes or racists. More people living in an area can put real pressure on local services like GPs surgeries, schools and housing.
10.29am BST
I’ve just received the text of Corbyn’s speech. Here is the passage on TTIP in full.
Many thousands of people have written to me, with their concerns about the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (or T-TIP) the deal being negotiated, largely in secret, between the US and the EU.
Many people are concerned rightly, that it could open up public services to further privatisation – and make privatisation effectively irreversible. Others are concerned about any potential watering down of consumer rights, food safety standards, rights at work or environmental protections and the facility for corporations to sue national governments if regulations impinged on their profits.
10.27am BST
Corbyn says other EU countries have done better at protecting industries like the steel industry.
But he says he thinks EU rules are too restrictive.
10.24am BST
Corbyn says many people are concerned about the transatlantic trade and investment partnership, TTIP, the proposed EU-US trade deal.
He says he has read and thought a great deal about this, and that he shares all the concerns raised.
10.22am BST
Corbyn says he recently held talks with Alexis Tsipras, the Greek prime minister.
The Greeks want to stay in the EU, but in a reformed EU, he says.
10.21am BST
Corbyn says Labour wants the EU to reform.
He says there has to be a humanitarian response to the refugee crisis.
10.17am BST
Corbyn says the EU has boosted workers’ rights.
On rights at work, Europe through the social chapter and other directives, has delivered:
· over 26 million workers in Britain benefit from being entitled to 28 days of paid leave and a limit to how many hours they can be forced to work;
Strong passage on workers rights from@jeremycorbyn #InCrowd pic.twitter.com/K7q58WJnox
10.14am BST
Corbyn mentions other benefits the EU has brought, such as the directive stopping mobile phone companies ripping people off.
And he turns to workers’ rights.
10.12am BST
Corbyn says David Cameron has shifted a great deal on the environment since his “hug a huskie” days.
He talks about how the EU has helped to protect the environment, mentioning bees and beaches.
10.10am BST
Corbyn says George Osborne recently said there would be a year-long recession if the UK left the EU.
This is the same George Osborne who said the deficit would be cleared by 2015. Now he is saying it won’t be cleared until 2021, he says.
10.08am BST
Corbyn urges people to vote, especially young people. There are just five days left to register, he says.
10.07am BST
Jeremy Corbyn is starting his speech now.
He says he wants to set out a positive case for Europe, but also a case for EU reform.
10.03am BST
Here is the scene at the Institute of Engineering Technology where Jeremy Corbyn is about to deliver his EU speech.
9.56am BST
Vote Leave has also released some ICM polling about the how people view the impact of immigration on various aspects of British life.
The bad new for David Cameron is that people think, in almost every aspect of life, immigration has had a negative effect.
9.41am BST
Today the EU referendum campaign amounts to combat by “five key questions”.
Britain Stronger in Europe have posted their “five key questions” for Leave in the form of a letter jointly signed by George Osborne, the Conservative chancellor, and Alistair Darling, his Labour predecessor. Claire posted an extract from the letter, with the five questions, at 8.02am. All the questions cover trade and the economy.
1 - Will you now admit that your EU renegotiation did nothing to limit the ‘free movement of people’ which is what most voters want?
2 - Will you now admit that your EU renegotiation will do nothing to limit pressures on hospital waiting times, class sizes or the housing crisis in this country?
When I was in government the prime minister wanted to impose limits on free movement of people from the EU, but sadly he failed. He now needs to set out how he plans to limit pressures on our NHS, schools and the housing crisis we face.
If we vote to stay in, this will get worse when Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey join the EU. British taxpayers are paying them £2 billion to join the EU despite not supporting this policy. How can he justify ignoring the wishes of the people?
9.20am BST
Patrick Minford, professor of applied economics at Cardiff Business School and co-chairman of Economists for Brexit, was on the Today programme with Alistair Darling. He said that if the UK left the EU, tariffs would be imposed on British goods being sold to the EU. But he claimed this would be worth it because the UK would no longer be obliged to impose EU-determined tariffs on the goods it buys from outside the EU.
Asked if tariffs would be imposed on British products being sold into EU markets, he replied:
There certainly would. And that is the whole point about leaving the EU. We face their external tariffs. But we don’t have to put all their external tariffs on the rest of the world. We trade freely with the rest of the world. And what happens is that our exporters now trade, as America does and as Japan does with the EU, facing their external tariffs. And we then get rid of the EU protectionism on all the stuff we buy from the rest of the world, which is an enormous benefit.
Patrick Minford #Brexit economist admits UK would face the EU's external tariffs - that means 10% on cars #StrongerIn #r4today
9.07am BST
Class, the leftwing, union-backed thinktank, has published a series of essays on the subject, Does the EU work for working class people?
Class is not taking a position on the EU referendum but its director, Faiza Shaheen said:
There is a class division on Brexit, with the working class largely in favour of the UK leaving the EU and those in highly paid in professions generally wanting to stay in. And yet the question of what material effects the EU has had upon working class people’s lives has been largely absent. It is imperative that these issues are debated so that working class people can make an informed decision when casting their vote.
8.57am BST
Alistair Darling, the former Labour chancellor, told the Today programme that he agreed with the GMB general secretary Tim Roache about the need for Labour to be more explicit about the benefits of immigration. Darling said:
I think that the GMB is quite right. There are many aspects of this referendum, protection of workers’ rights, protection of British industry.
But equally, in relation to immigration, it’s an issue that must be discussed. That’s why I’m asking why, if the Leave campaign say we should be like Norway or Switzerland, will they not then accept that part of the deal there is they have to accept free movement of people?
8.50am BST
Good Morning. I’m Andrew Sparrow and I’m taking over from Claire.
Liam Fox, the Conservative former defence secretary, is giving a speech this morning at the Vote Leave HQ entitled “Memories of Green? The Cost of Uncontrolled Migration.”
Most new immigrants move into the private rented sector which has grown as the immigrant population has grown. Competition for rented accommodation obliges all those in the private rented sector to pay high rents which take a large share of income and makes saving to buy a home even harder.
These resulting high rents and a shortage of housing make it much more difficult for young people to set up home on their own so they have to spend more time in house shares or with their parents.
A constant unchecked flow of migration will inevitably result in more of our open spaces and natural greenery being turned over to housing.
8.24am BST
Ukip MEP Roger Helmer adds a new dimension to the debate, pointing out that he and his fellow British MEPs would certainly be among any job casualties if the UK votes to leave the EU:
Osborne asks how many UK jobs will be lost on Brexit? Seventy-four, George. Including mine.
8.08am BST
Labour MP Mary Creagh has spoken on the Today programme about concerns that the party’s pro-EU message is not getting through to voters:
The danger is of leaders making a speech and thinking that everybody has heard it … We learned that lesson last year in the election campaign.
I think we need to be treating this referendum as if it was a general election campaign and having everybody out on the doorstep.
8.02am BST
George Osborne and Alistair Darling – “the latest unlikely cross-party collaboration coordinated by the Stronger In campaign”, says Guardian political editor Heather Stewart – are sharing not only a platform but a letter to Vote Leave with a list of questions:
What specific trading relationship will the UK have with the EU if we leave?
What guarantees do you have there will be no new tariffs imposed on goods traded between the UK and EU?
7.45am BST
Today will be dominated by the party leaders, with Jeremy Corbyn striking first in a speech this morning.
With criticism from GMB general secretary Tim Roache that he needs to be “bolder and braver”, Corbyn is to set out why Labour is “overwhelmingly for staying in”.
Labour's @MaryCreaghMP tells @BBCr4today "I've had emails from my constituents saying 'I'm a Labour voter but what's the Labour position?"
Owen Smith says he'd rather Cameron was PM than Boris, Patel or IDS. 'He's not the worst of the Tories' #r4today
7.37am BST
Michael Gove – who won’t get his head-to-head debate with David Cameron tonight, but will get his own Sky News Q&A tomorrow – argues today that as justice secretary he has been “powerless” to stop terror suspects entering Britain.
The Telegraph reports that in an essay for Portland Communications (which doesn’t appear to be online yet), Gove says:
As justice secretary, I have experienced the frustration at our inability to refuse entry to those with a criminal record and even some who are suspected of terrorist links.
Gove also said that Mr Cameron’s campaign is ‘stoking up Project Fear’ and said they would be surprised by the prevailing ‘calm and stability’ and ‘sense of optimism’ in the event of a Brexit vote.
7.26am BST
There’s more from Mariano Rajoy, the Spanish prime minister, who has warned that the consequences of the UK voting to leave the EU would be “very negative”.
negative for everybody, for the United Kingdom, for Spain, and for the European Union.
But, above all, it would be very negative for British citizens: the European Union is based, ever since its foundation, on the principles of freedom of movement of people, goods, services, and capitals.
6.55am BST
Good morning and welcome to day three of our daily EU referendum coverage. I’ll be launching the morning briefing to set you up for the day ahead and steering the live blog each morning until Andrew Sparrow takes his seat. Do come and chat in the comments below or find me on Twitter @Claire_Phipps.
The threat to the British people is not the European Union – it is a Conservative government here in Britain, seeking to undermine the good things we have achieved in Europe and resisting changes that would benefit the ordinary people of Britain.
A vote to leave means a Conservative government would then be in charge of negotiating Britain’s exit. Everything they have done as a government so far means we could not rely on them to protect the workplace rights that millions rely on.
These people don’t come here to sit on their backsides and claim benefits, they come here to work … It’s all right when people’s children are being taught by economic migrants, or when people’s parents are being looked after in hospital by economic migrants.
negative for everybody, for the United Kingdom, for Spain, and for the European Union …
Over 100,000 Spanish citizens work and live in the United Kingdom. Over 400,000 British citizens work and live in Spain. If the United Kingdom left the European Union, it would be very negative for everyone and from every perspective.
A statement released by the Brexit campaign suggested repeatedly that immigration would be lower if we left the EU and adopted such a system, reducing the strain on hospitals, schools and workers who face intense competition for jobs from migrants. There is no guarantee of that …
But more important … is the principle at the centre of Australia’s system: they decide how it works. And for all the details of the policy, which the Brexiteers did not include in their statement, it boils down to one thing: our immigration policy would be decided here and not abroad. So if the British public wants a more restrictive immigration policy, it will be able to vote for a government that can deliver one. That is not possible at the moment.
People with Australian passports are kicked out at the expiry of two years, or less now if they don’t earn enough money in order to free up unlimited space for people who may have no connection to this country whatsoever,’ Mr Hannan told Fairfax Media after a public rally in Hammersmith.
‘I think that’s immoral, I also think it makes no economic sense,’ he said.
First, [Alexander] said, ‘psychology matters more than psephology’ – ignore the polls, at least until the very end. Both telephone and internet polls are flawed when assessing support for referendums, because they are so rare, and what matters will be ‘the overriding question in people’s minds as they vote’.
So it will be vital to manage the news cycle in the last 10 days, to shape the anxieties and aspirations of voters. In Scotland, opponents of independence focused on the economic risks and the inability of the ‘yes’ side to answer crucial questions about currency and the sustainability of the oil-based economy.
We would like to express how very much we value having the United Kingdom in the European Union. It is not just treaties that join us to your country, but bonds of admiration and affection. All of us hope that you will vote to renew them. Britain, please stay.
3 weeks still to go. God. Many complained vehemently that a mere 7 weeks of referendum campaigning after May elections was rudely short.
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