London (AFP) – An endorsement from the top-selling Sun tabloid on Tuesday boosted the campaign for Britain to leave the EU in next week’s referendum, as the increasing likelihood of a Brexit weighed on global investor confidence.
The decision by Rupert Murdoch’s paper was no surprise given its eurosceptic coverage, but combined with a recent string of opinion polls which put the “Leave” camp ahead, it contributed to a sense of momentum.
Investors have responded by selling stocks and putting their money in safe investments, as concerns grow over the potential economic fall-out from Britain voting to become the first country to leave the 28-member bloc on June 23.
In mid-afternoon trading, London’s benchmark FTSE 100 index was nearly 1.3 percent down compared with Monday’s close, while the Frankfurt and Paris markets also fell.
The pound had hit two-month lows against the dollar and European single currency on Monday, and only recovered slightly on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, strong demand for German government bonds, viewed as rock-solid investments, pushed their yields into negative territory for the first time ever.
A YouGov poll for The Times gave the “Leave” camp 46 percent, compared to 39 percent for “Remain” — the fourth survey since Friday to put them ahead. Only one has put the Brexit camp behind.
A compilation of the six latest polls by the WhatUKThinks research project, which excludes undecided voters, puts “Leave” ahead by 51 percent to 49 percent.
Matt Singh, a polling expert who runs the Number Cruncher Politics website, told AFP: “In terms of the direction of travel, there’s clear evidence of a move towards ‘Leave’.”
But he cautioned that there were still questions about the extent of the move. On Monday, Singh put the probability of a Brexit at 33 percent, its highest-ever level.
– Jobs and immigration –
UK Independence Party (UKIP) leader Nigel Farage brandished a copy of The Sun while out campaigning, saying he was “absolutely thrilled” by its endorsement.
In a front page editorial, the paper urged its 4.5 million readers to “BeLEAVE in Britain”, saying: “We must set ourselves free from dictatorial Brussels.”
It warned that staying in the EU would leave Britain “powerless” to stop the hundreds of thousands of European migrants who come to the country every year, putting “catastrophic pressure” on public services.
The main opposition Labour party, which is backing “Remain”, sought to counter this argument by warning that half a million jobs were at risk from a recession that some experts predict could follow a Brexit.
At a rally in London, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn also highlighted how the EU protected workers’ rights such as longer holidays and maternity leave.
“We believe that a ‘Leave’ vote will put many of those things seriously and immediately at risk,” he said, flanked by members of his party and trade union leaders.
The “Remain” camp also published a letter from 60 health experts — former heads of various colleges representing medical staff specialities — warning of the risks that a Brexit would present to the state-run National Health Service.
– Keira speaks out –
On Tuesday evening, two of the biggest names on both sides of the campaign will go head-to-head in a debate hosted by the Huffington Post, YouTube and the Daily Telegraph.
Former Scottish National Party (SNP) leader Alex Salmond, who is backing “Remain”, will debate with lead Brexit campaigner Boris Johnson, the former Conservative mayor of London who is tipped as a future prime minister, in a debate which begins at 1800 GMT.
As the poll nears, campaigners are pushing for a high turnout — using increasingly blunt tactics.
Hollywood actress Keira Knightley, who has previously expressed support for “Remain”, made a short film in which she said it took only five seconds for her to practise the “perfect awards face”.
“And it takes five seconds to mark an X in a ballot box.”
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