British ambassador: “citizens divided” ahead of referendum

The citizens of the UK are divided on the June 23 referendum which will decide their future membership of the EU. This was the message issued yesterday by UK ambassador to Spain, Simon Manley, who was participating at a conference on the impact of a possible Brexit organised by the Association of Economists of Catalonia in Barcelona.

“The country is divided, as is our political class”, said Manley, who, like the country's prime minister, David Cameron, advocates staying in the European club following the agreements signed with the European institutions on sovereignty, economic governance, immigration and social benefits, among other issues.

The ambassador turned to history to defend this position, saying “Whenever we have turned our backs on Europe we have regretted it”.

The president of the British Chamber of Commerce in Spain, Chris Dottie, who was also attending the conference, referred to a survey which left no question over the position of the country's businesses on the Brexit. According to data from the survey, 89% of employers consulted acknowledged the need to stay in Europe, while 86% said that leaving the EU would complicate their company's commercial relations and 70% stated it would be negative for their firm.