Cameron vies to seize initiative in last days of Brexit campaign

Bloomberg

The U.K. referendum on European Union membership entered its final stages as David Cameron tried to capitalize on a swing in momentum back to the “Remain” campaign and former London Mayor Boris Johnson accused the prime minister of having nothing to offer voters.
The pound surged on Monday as investors grew more confident British voters will opt to stay in the EU on June 23. The referendum is being watched by governments and investors all around the world amid concern that a so-called Brexit would spark turmoil across global markets.
Both sides returned to the fray Sunday after suspending the campaign for 60 hours following the murder of Labour lawmaker Jo Cox. The prime minister, taking audience questions on a BBC television special, accused his opponents of lying over immigration, the price of membership and a European army, while arguing a Brexit would hurt the economy. He also took to Twitter to highlight Cox’s pro-EU views. “It would be a tragedy if we damaged our economy and wrecked job prospects in our country on the basis of three things that are completely untrue,” a visibly riled Cameron said.
The pound strengthened by the most in three months against the dollar and sterling volatility retreated following polls published on Sunday showing “Remain” regaining the lead that it had lost in recent weeks. The pound was up more than 2 percent at $1.4652 as of 9:31 a.m. in London.
Writing in the Telegraph newspaper on Monday, Johnson urged Britons to “change the whole course of European history,” saying leaving the EU would be “overwhelmingly positive” for the U.K. “What is the Remain camp offering?” Johnson said. “Nothing. No change, no improvement, no reform; nothing but the steady and miserable erosion of parliamentary democracy in this country.”

Soul Searching
Parliament has been recalled on Monday so that lawmakers from all parties can pay tribute to Cox, who was shot and stabbed as she attended a meeting with constituents. Her death led to soul-searching among politicians about the rancorous nature of the Brexit debate. In a sign of unity, some lawmakers may sit on opposing benches in the House of Commons for the session. Cameron on Sunday tweeted a link to her final commentary piece.

Elsewhere in the campaign:
Ten Nobel-winning economists wrote to the Guardian newspaper saying Britain is better off inside the EU. German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said EU policy makers have safeguards in place to avoid “chaotic developments” should Britons vote to leave.
The pressure group Migration Watch said migrants cost the U.K. as much as 17 billion pounds ($25 billion) a year, without explaining how it arrived at the figure. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders issued a statement stressing the importance of Britain remaining in the EU

Xenophobic Campaign
The death of Cox, who defended immigrants and refugees, has created difficulties for “Leave” whose main campaign message is that Brexit will enable Britain to regain control of its borders and stem the flow of EU immigrants. On Monday, former Conservative Party Chairwoman Sayeeda Warsi said she has switched to “Remain” because of the “Leave” campaign’s “nudge nudge, wink wink, xenophobic racist campaign.” “Day after day, what are we hearing?” Warsi said in a BBC Radio interview.
“The refugees are coming, the rapists are coming, the Turks are coming; linking the Turks to criminality, the extremists are coming.”
Speaking to the same program on Monday, U.K. Independence Party leader Nigel Farage defended the focus on immigration, saying “the central point of this campaign is that we want to control our country and part of that is controlling our borders.”

‘Terrible Tragedy’
Yesterday, he suggested Cox’s killing had hurt the “Leave” campaign, saying “we did have momentum until this terrible tragedy.”
Thomas Mair, charged with Cox’s murder, gave his name as “death to traitors, freedom for Britain” in a court appearance on Saturday.
In his BBC appearance, Cameron repeated his message that departing the EU would be a risk, and that most economists warn it would damage the
economy.
“When I’m thinking of buying a house, I listen to an expert,” he said. “When I’m thinking of getting into a car, I listen to the mechanic. If I want to build a bridge, I want an engineer. People in the ‘Leave’ campaign are asking you to trust in just a sense that it’s going to be OK. I don’t think that’s good enough.”