Britain's senior-most Indian-origin minister, Priti Patel, has been at the centre of a sexism row in relation to her stand in favour of the country's exit from the European Union (EU). With just 15 days to go for the crucial vote, both camps are on overdrive to win over those sitting on the fence over which way to vote.
The closeness of the opinion polls no one can reliably predict the outcome of EU Referendum on June 23rd. Yet the issue is not simple. While no one can predict what Britain's economic and trading arrangement will look like if Brexit happens, MPs who support the Remain campaign are using this justification to preserve Britain's membership of the European single market.
UK's employment minister and Prime Minister David Cameron's Indian Diaspora Champion Ms Patel, has been a very vocal supporter of the Brexit camp in the June 23 referendum, leading to an alleged disparaging remark about her name by a trade union chief in favour of remaining within the economic bloc.
"Priti Patel, surely a contradiction in her name," said Tim Roachea allegedly, head of the GMB union, implying that Patel's stand was not "pretty".
Reacting to criticism of being sexist by MPs, members of the public on social media and the official "Britain Stronger in Europe" camp distancing itself from his remarks as having "no place in this campaign", he added: "Not sexist in the slightest. Listen to the context. What she says and thinks of workers and rights is not pretty.”
PM Cameron on Tuesday called an emergency press conference in London to counter myths he said have been put about by the Vote Leave campaign.
The Prime Minister said he was concerned at seeing the misleading statements on the news on Monday night.
"A Leave campaign resorting to total untruths to con people into taking a leap in the dark. It's irresponsible and it's wrong and it's time that the Leave campaign was called out on the nonsense that they are peddling," he reportedly said.
His comments came as he also made a last ditch effort to get young and other un-registered voters to sign-up for the referendum in time to meet the Electoral Commission's deadline on Tuesday 7 June.
According to a report by the PTI, figures from the Electoral Commission show that since May over 1.35 million people have applied to register to vote online of which 763,183 were under the age of 34 - those most likely to support a remain vote.
But a series of polls in recent days have suggested momentum is building behind Brexit campaigners- perhaps a sizeable figure of supporters within the Asian community as well. During a live TV debate on Brexit hosted by the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire, a man called Jules said the problem is that there are plenty of claims and counter claims – but a distinct lack of hard facts.
A YouGov poll this week has showed 45% of Britons would vote to leave the EU compared with 41% who would vote to stay in. A separate survey by TNS showed 43% backed Brexit, while 41% supported continued EU membership.
A rattled financial market reacted with the pound falling by as much as 1.5 cents against the dollar.
The US’s top state banking chief warned that Brexit could have “significant economic repercussions”.
Speaking on ITV’s Peston on Sunday, Leave campaigner Michael Gove said the only real risk to “our economy is staying in the EU”.
He says Britain doesn’t have to be a member of single market to have tariff-free access to EU.
He says that the EU is “rigged in favour of the big investment banks” and that the multinational banks are bankrolling the Remain campaign.
He appears to have conceded that in the event of a Brexit the UK will not actually leave the European Union by the end of Parliament in 2020.
He set out his ambition to see immigration come down to the tens of thousands under an Australian-style points system.
Campaign brings parties together, but splits Tories
In an extraordinary attack on their government colleagues, Justice Secretary Michael Gove and Boris Johnson have warned voters “cannot trust” David Cameron and George Osborne to honour their promises on Europe. The leaders say that the PM has put the British economy in “severe danger” by giving away the UK’s veto during talks in Brussels earlier this year.
But David Cameron has warned that Brexit would “put a bomb under our economy”, adding: “The worst thing is we’d have lit the fuse ourselves.”
Teaming up with leading figures from the Greens, Labour and Lib Dems, the PM said the Leave campaigners’ 23 alternative trade arrangements would have “a profound and damaging effect on our economy”.
Cameron said he was “proud” to stand alongside Labour’s Harriet Harman, Lib Dem leader Tim Farron and Green leader Natalie Bennett at The Oval in south London in “an unprecedented show of cross-party unity” in support of the In campaign.
He warned that Brexit would plunge the UK into recession, with businesses going bust, unemployment rising and sterling falling – followed by a “decade of uncertainty” as Britain attempts to negotiate new trade arrangements with the rest of the world.
But Boris Johnson said it was a “delusion” to think Britain could boost its prosperity by “bartering away our freedom and democracy”.
Former British Prime Minister Sir John Major has accused the Brexit campaign of “verging on the squalid’ and said he was “angry” they are misleading the public with “untrue information”.
Coming down heavily on the Leave campaign, the Conservative leader attacked Boris Johnson and Michael Gove’s “deceitful” claims.
Targeting Boris Johnson, Sir John said the “court jester” would not have the loyalty of the Tory MPs if the former London mayor becomes the party leader.
According to a report in The Telegraph, No. 10 has denied forcing John Major to tackle Boris Johnson.
David Davis, the eurosceptic Tory MP, said Sir John’s attack had been a “very bad idea”.
Sir John refused to rule out the possibility that this vote could split the Conservative Party after the June 23 EU referandum.
On the other hand, Damian McBride, one of Labour’s most senior advisers is in a tight spot after a private message which he accidentally posted publicly appeared to show him advising Michael Gove and the Brexit campaign.
Corbyn in Pro-EU Letter Row
A fresh controversy has emerged between Corbyn and Labour MPs after he appeared to water down a letter setting out Labour’s commitment to the EU.
Signed by around 200 of the Labour Party’s MPs, the letter said the party was “united in arguing that we are better off remaining in the European Union”.
It is understood that Corbyn’s office on 4th June demanded that line be changed to say that Labour “overwhelmingly believes we are better off”.
According to The Telegraph, one party source told PoliticsHome: “They literally went to all 200 MPs and said ‘Jeremy is changing the letter – here’s the new version, you’ve got an hour to say you want to unsign it or your name is remaining on it’. It is disgusting behaviour. People are very angry and a lot of them think Jeremy is actively sabotaging the Remain campaign.”
A spokesman for Corbyn said: “Jeremy agreed one letter and that went out signed by the MPs.”
Speaking to the Sunday Politics show, Lord Prescott said Labour was “absolutely” failing to galvanise its supporters, admitting “Jeremy’s not a passionate man”.
Immigration- the elephant in the room
Iain Duncan Smith, the Brexit campaigner and former Cabinet minister, has said a vote to Remain would lead to the UK becoming part of a “single federation in the eurozone”.
He argued for Australian-style points-based system to manage immigration in case of a Brexit. However UKIP leader Nigel Farage has attacked Cameron, saying that his stance on Turkey's membership is misleading.
Brexit campaigners have set out new immigration proposals should the country vote to leave the EU.
They say the plan would work in a similar way to Australia’s current system.
As we went to press, the Institute for Fiscal Studies has said Michael Gove was wrong to claim that leaving the EU would boost NHS spending.
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So how does Australian point based immigration system work?
There are two main routes to gaining a temporary work or permanent residency visa either through a skills points test or through employer nomination.
Employer nomination requirements:
* Being 50 years old.
* Being educated to secondary school level.
* Capable of speaking English competently.
* Skilled employment history.
* Being in good health.
* Being of ‘good’ character.
Extra points are given, among other things, for having studied in Australia, if a partner is also a skilled migrant or if nominated by an eligible family member.
The skills test:
A minimum of 60 points are required for:
* Level of education.
* Employment experience.
* English language ability.
* Age.
Working holiday visas can also be issued to meet skills shortages in low paying jobs.
Applicants can work in Australia for 12 months but they cannot remain with one employer for longer than six months.
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‘Gamble With Our Security’
Quitting the European Union will make Britain less safe, warned former police chiefs. They urged voters not to “gamble with our security”.
In an open letter, they insisted Brexit would put the country at a disadvantage in the fight against terrorism and organised crime.
The group includes two former Metropolitan Police commissioners and an ex-president of the Association of Chief Police Officers.
They wrote: “We do not believe that staying in Europe makes us more vulnerable, it is not credible to argue so, all the evidence is to the contrary. We can see no case for taking such a gamble with our security that leaving the EU would entail.”
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Why would we leave the EU?
Economic costs
Some estimates suggest the total economic cost of EU membership is around 11% of our annual GDP – which makes it something like £200billion. Brexiters say this money would be better spent on new British industries and scientific research.
Trade
Without the EU, Britain can independently pursue international trade deals with China, India and the US.
Bureaucracy
Most Brexiters see the EU as an over-regulated, bureaucratic burden. Leaving, they say, would allow the UK’s government and financial authorities to design a regulatory framework that is more suited to our needs.
Immigration
This is arguably the most charged issue in the referendum debate.
One of the EU’s founding principles is the free movement of people. Because of this, the UK has no control over immigration from other EU member states.
Brexiters often cite health and benefits tourism from other EU citizens – where people visit or migrate to the UK because of what they perceive as a more generous welfare system, or the NHS.
The issue of how to regulate welfare for EU migrants was one of the main sticking points in David Cameron’s recent negotiations with EU leaders.
Recently, some pro-Brexit ministers have claimed the UK is at greater risk of a terror attack while part of the EU.
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Why would we stay in the EU?
The EU is one of the world’s larget markets, accounting for 25 per cent of global GDP.
It is also our biggest trading partner. Currently, 45% of the UK’s exports are to the EU, while 50% of imports are from the EU.
And our membership of the EU makes us a more attractive destination for foreign investment. In 2012, for example, we received around £937billion of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), while 50 per cent of UK FDI is EU-related.
The pro-EU camp say this access to the EU market balances out the £200billion cost of membership.
Workers’ rights
The EU has introduced many directives which undoubtedly help British workers and protect our rights.
These include:
Regulated working hours and break times, so people cannot be forced to work more than 48 hours a week.
At least four weeks of guaranteed annual leave
Four months paid parental leave and extra protections for pregnant workers
Anti-discrimination laws, so people cannot be discriminated against on the grounds of race, ethnicity, religion or belief, disability, age, or sexual orientation.
Protection for workers when companies change ownership
We get a seat at the table
Food, health and animal rights
Most of the UK’s food standards laws originate in the EU, meaning many potentially harmful additives are banned from food.
Jobs
It’s estimated that around three million UK jobs are reliant on the EU – although it’s not known exactly how many would be in jeopardy if we left.
Travel
It’s easier than ever for us to get away, with visa-less travel across the EU.
Our driving licenses are also valid in all EU countries, and we can work anywhere we want without having to apply for a work visa.
Immigration
From an employer’s point of view, immigrants from the EU tend to be better educated than UK nationals – around 32 per cent have a degree, compared with 21% of UK citizens. From an economic perspective, people moving over from the EU since 2000 have contributed 34% more financially to the UK than they have cost us.
In his new deal, Cameron has secured a ‘brake’ period of seven years on EU migrants claiming benefits, which would reduce the number of people potentially abusing the system.
People in favour of the EU also argue that immigration also creates a more diverse national culture.
Plus, staying would mean the 1.4million Brits currently settled in other EU member states wouldn’t need to move back or get visas.
(source: Metro)
