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EU referendum live: Bank of England says pound could 'fall sharply' on Brexit
Labour MP Jo Cox shot - live updates
(35 minutes later)
2.08pm BST
14:08
Jo Cox has been taken by air ambulance to Leeds infirmary, the BBC is reporting.
2.07pm BST
14:07
According to the BBC, a primary school is in lockdown and a gunman may be on the loose near the shooting at Birstall.
2.03pm BST
14:03
This is from the BBC’s Allie Hodgkins-Brown.
Office of Jo Cox MP confirms she has been injured in an attack at her office in Birstall Yorkshire
Unconfirmed reports suggest a man was stabbed - and Jo Cox MP shot and stabbed - via @timsmithyorks
2.00pm BST
14:00
Labour MP Jo Cox shot
The Press Association has just snapped this.
Batley and Spen MP Jo Cox has been shot in Birstall near Leeds, an eyewitness said.
1.51pm BST
13:51
Ukip poster condemned as 'immoral'
Britain Stronger in Europe has also condemned the Ukip poster. (See 12.01pm.) It has issued a news release with statements from MPs from four parties saying Ukip are wrong to exploit the refugee crisis in this way.
This is from Yvette Cooper, chair of Labour’s refugee taskforce.
Just when you thought leave campaigners couldn’t stoop any lower, they are now exploiting the misery of the Syrian refugee crisis in the most dishonest and immoral way.
Europe didn’t cause the Syrian refugee crisis and pulling out of the EU won’t stop people fleeing conflict and persecution by ISIS and the Assad regime.
All countries have a moral responsibility to help whether they are in the EU or not and the only way to deal with it is for countries to work together.
We rely on other EU countries doing asylum checks and coping with this crisis long before it ever reaches Britain’s shores - ripping up cooperation with the EU would make it much harder to stop the people smugglers, help refugees or prevent illegal migration. No country can cope with something like this alone.
The other statements, in a similar vein, are from the Green MP Caroline Lucas, the Lib Dem MP Tom Brake and the Conservative MP Neil Carmichael.
Updated
at 1.55pm BST
1.44pm BST
13:44
Green party condemns Ukip immigration poster as 'despicable'
The Green party has condemned the Ukip poster (see 12.01pm) as “despicable”. This is from the Green MEP Jean Lambert, the party’s migration spokeswoman and a Remain supporter.
This is a poster of shame from UKIP. Nigel Farage is deliberately confusing voluntary EU free movement with refugees fleeing from outside Europe – it’s despicable. The European Union is the best place for countries to act in solidarity and work together on solutions to shared challenges like the displacement of people. It is vital we don’t give in to this kind of fear and hate and that we vote to Remain in the EU.
1.41pm BST
13:41
Back to the Ukip poster. (See 12.01pm.) On Twitter Connor Beaton points out that the image is similar to one he’s seen on a Nazi propaganda video.
Your new poster resembles outright Nazi propaganda, @Nigel_Farage. Thanks to @brendanjharkin for pointing it out. pic.twitter.com/Rd89XZSvfD
1.37pm BST
13:37
And while we’re on the subject of trust, these figures are worth flagging up in the context of the latest warning from the Bank of England.
They show that, amongst Remain supporters, the Bank has a net trust rating of +34 (those who trust it minus those who don’t). But, amongst Leave supporters, its rating is -45.
Uh-oh. It turns out that, if David Cameron thought that wheeling out Jeremy Clarkson was going to help the Remain cause (see 12.48pm), the polling evidence suggests he was mistaken.
Uh-oh. It turns out that, if David Cameron thought that wheeling out Jeremy Clarkson was going to help the Remain cause (see 12.48pm), the polling evidence suggests he was mistaken.
According to these YouGov figures, Clarkson is even less likely to be trusted on the EU than Cameron himself. The only figures on this list who poll worse are Tony Blair and Joey Essex.
According to these YouGov figures, Clarkson is even less likely to be trusted on the EU than Cameron himself. The only figures on this list who poll worse are Tony Blair and Joey Essex.
Who do those undecided on #EURef trust? @MartinSLewis does ok, but Tony Blair has lower net trust than @JoeyEssex_ pic.twitter.com/XH5VkPWTQp
Who do those undecided on #EURef trust? @MartinSLewis does ok, but Tony Blair has lower net trust than @JoeyEssex_ pic.twitter.com/XH5VkPWTQp
1.25pm BST
1.25pm BST
13:25
13:25
Severin Carrell
Severin Carrell
One of the most senior figures in the Church of Scotland, the Rev Dr Richard Frazer, has said a leave vote would be a denial of the UK’s moral values and its global humanitarian role.
One of the most senior figures in the Church of Scotland, the Rev Dr Richard Frazer, has said a leave vote would be a denial of the UK’s moral values and its global humanitarian role.
Frazer, convener of the church and society council of the Church of Scotland, which voted last month to restate its support for the EU, said Brexit campaigners were “playing a dangerous game” by blaming immigrants, refugees and EU costs for the country’s financial problems.
Frazer, convener of the church and society council of the Church of Scotland, which voted last month to restate its support for the EU, said Brexit campaigners were “playing a dangerous game” by blaming immigrants, refugees and EU costs for the country’s financial problems.
In an article endorsing a remain vote in next week’s referendum, Frazer, the minister at Grayfriars kirk in Edinburgh, said:
In an article endorsing a remain vote in next week’s referendum, Frazer, the minister at Grayfriars kirk in Edinburgh, said:
The European project is far from perfect, but in as much as it has successfully replaced bombs with bureaucrats it has enabled European citizens to enjoy unprecedented peace, stability and opportunity since the Second World War ...
The European project is far from perfect, but in as much as it has successfully replaced bombs with bureaucrats it has enabled European citizens to enjoy unprecedented peace, stability and opportunity since the Second World War ...
To walk away would be a denial of the very humanitarian and moral values for which we stand as an active participant in global civil society.
To walk away would be a denial of the very humanitarian and moral values for which we stand as an active participant in global civil society.
1.23pm BST
1.23pm BST
13:23
13:23
Rowena Mason
Rowena Mason
Unbeknownst to Boris Johnson, one of the Vote Leave activists at the fish processing plant he visited earlier (see 9.52am) turns out to be a former fan of the English Defence League.
Unbeknownst to Boris Johnson, one of the Vote Leave activists at the fish processing plant he visited earlier (see 9.52am) turns out to be a former fan of the English Defence League.
The supporter, who had an EDL tattoo on his neck, told the Mirror it was done years ago and he was not politically active before the leave campaign. Andy Reynolds, 47, said he backed Johnson’s message, adding: “The fishermen have been struggling for years so it’s good to see someone highlighting it now.”
The supporter, who had an EDL tattoo on his neck, told the Mirror it was done years ago and he was not politically active before the leave campaign. Andy Reynolds, 47, said he backed Johnson’s message, adding: “The fishermen have been struggling for years so it’s good to see someone highlighting it now.”
1.20pm BST
13:20
Patrick Wintour
Britain if it votes to stay in the European Union will no longer be a wallflower at EU meetings skulking in the corner but instead taking a new assertive leadership rule, Philip Hammond, the foreign secretary predicted today.
He claimed a core group of a dozen like minded countries were looking for leadership from the UK and in the wake of a referendum Remain vote, the UK will have a mandate to pursue its agenda on competitiveness and the single market.
He was speaking at the annual Chatham House think tank London conference at which many international diplomats and experts expressed deep alarm at the growing tribalism of international politics exemplified by the strong support for Brexit in the UK.
Hammond said the last thing the UK needed to do after a Victory for remain is to go back to business as usual.
We are the second largest economy in the EU and perhaps soon to be the largest. It is time we started to act like it. We have won most of the arguments about the direction of Europe’s future travel and started to shape Europe in our image of the future.
The days of the UK skulking in the corner – the wallflower at the EU dance - must be over. We must noisily and assertively fight for our interests and for our vision of the EU ‘s future championing reform and focussing on the economy.
1.17pm BST
13:17
Denis Campbell
Jeremy Hunt has claimed that the NHS would suffer “a Brexit hangover” if Britain votes to leave the EU.
Speaking at the annual conference in Manchester of the NHS Confederation, which represents hospital managers, the health secretary rubbished as “utterly bogus” claims by Leave campaign leaders such as Michael Gove and Boris Johnson that the health service would receive up to £8bn a year more in the event of Brexit.
Any suggestion that the NHS would see a dividend from leaving the EU is utterly bogus. The Institute for Fiscal Studies are very, very clear about this, that even if the entire net contribution to the EU of £120m a week is handed to the NHS, you would only need to see a contraction in GDP of 0.6% and those benefits would be totally wiped out.
Hunt was mostly preaching to the converted. No health organisation is backing Brexit and many, including the NHS Confederation itself, Royal College of Midwives and the Faculty of Public Health -- and this week the British Medical Journal -- are publicly backing the remain case.
1.10pm BST
13:10
Here’s a Guardian video with highlights from Gordon Brown’s speech this morning.
1.06pm BST
13:06
Spain’s acting prime minister Mariano Rajoy said today that he hoped Britain stays in the EU but that he is unhappy about David Cameron visiting Gibraltar, the Associated Press news agency reports.
Speaking on Spanish National Radio, Rajoy said his government “doesn’t like the idea that Cameron should go to Gibraltar” but insisted that what is being debated is whether Britain stays in the European union, “as I hope it does.”
Cameron is making a two-hour visit to Gibraltar later today to seek votes to keep Britain in the EU in the June 23 referendum. Spanish media said it is the first visit to Gibraltar by a British premier in nearly 50 years.
Spain ceded Gibraltar’s sovereignty to Britain in a 1713 treaty but has persistently sought its return ever since. In the past, it has opposed visits by British royal family members to the territory.
Gibraltar’s 30,000 inhabitants are believed to be overwhelmingly on the “remain” side in the EU debate. They fear their access to the single European market could be blocked by a hostile Spanish government if Britain exits.
Rajoy said Spain has always viewed Gibraltar as Spanish regardless of the referendum, adding that the campaign should be carried out in Britain not Gibraltar.
Rajoy, who heads the conservative Popular party, is running Spain’s caretaker government following inconclusive elections in December. Spaniards are to vote in a repeat election June 26.
Updated
at 1.08pm BST
1.03pm BST
13:03
Jeremy Clarkson on why he backs staying in the EU
Jeremy Clarkson announced that he was backing staying in the EU in his Sunday Times column (paywall) in March. Here’s an extract.
When Mr Cameron was touring Europe recently, seeking a better deal for Britain by sucking up to the leaders of such places as Romania and Hungary, I watched on YouTube an MEP called Daniel Hannan make an anti-EU speech to a group of, I think, students. It was brilliant. One of the best speeches I’ve ever heard. And, I’ll admit, it made me question my beliefs. But despite his clever, reasoned and passionate plea for us to leave Europe, I’m still in. He talked sense, but a lot of this debate is about how we feel.
In 1973 my parents held a Common Market party. They’d lived through the war, and for them it seemed a good idea to form closer ties with our endlessly troublesome neighbours. For me, however, it was a chance to make flags out of coloured felt and to eat exotic foods such as sausage and pasta. I felt very European that night, and I still do.
Whether I’m sitting in a railway concourse in Brussels or pottering down the canals of southwestern France or hurtling along a motorway in Croatia, I feel way more at home than I do when I’m trying to get something to eat in Dallas or Sacramento. I love Europe, and to me that’s important.
I’m the first to acknowledge that so far the EU hasn’t really worked. We still don’t have standardised electrical sockets, and every member state is still out for itself, not the common good. This is the sort of thing that causes many people to think, “Well, let’s just leave and look after ourselves in future.”
I get that. I really do. And after I’d watched Hannan’s speech, that’s briefly how I felt too. But, actually, isn’t it better to stay in and try to make the damn thing work properly? To create a United States of Europe that functions as well as the United States of America? With one army and one currency and one unifying set of values?
Britain, on its own, has little influence on the world stage. I think we are all agreed on that. But Europe, if it were well run and had cohesive, well thought-out policies, would be a tremendous force for good. I think we are all agreed on that as well. So how do we turn Europe from the shambles it is now into the beacon of civilisation that it could be in the future?
12.57pm BST
12:57
Severin Carrell
Nicola Sturgeon has again warned she could call a second Scottish independence referendum if the UK votes to leave the EU next week against the wishes of a majority of Scottish voters.
Speaking during first minister’s questions, she told Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale that if Brexit wins in a week’s time “against the democratically expressed will [of the Scottish people] that all options to protect our relationship with Europe and the EU will require to be explored.”
Dugdale asked Sturgeon three questions on the EU referendum, in clear breach of a ruling by Holyrood officials in May that as it was public body, the Scottish parliament was barred by purdah rules from debating the EU after purdah came into force on 27 May.
Dugdale had asked Sturgeon whether the Scottish government had any contingency plans under way to cope with the economic damage that George Osborne and leading economists predict would follow Brexit. The first minister sidestepped that question.
And her remarks were conditional and cautious: Alex Salmond her predecessor has said explicitly he wants a second referendum within two years of a Brexit vote. Sturgeon is widely thought to oppose that since a host of opinion polls show independence after Brexit does not yet have a commanding majority.
12.54pm BST
12:54
My colleague Anushka Asthana has made a film about the impact of immigration on the EU referendum. It last eight minutes and you can watch it here.
12.48pm BST
12:48
Jeremy Clarkson meets Cameron and backs Remain
With one week to go, and support for Leave surging, Remain are getting desperate. David Cameron has already wheeled out President Obama, the IMF, Angela Merkel, every living former prime minister, the Bank of England, the OECD, Jeremy Corbyn and God know who else - without much effect.
So, understandably, it seems they’ve decided to deploy the one secret weapon they’ve been holding back - Jeremy Clarkson.
Rather unexpectedly, Clarkson is a Remainer.
Here is the Press Association story about the photocall.
Jeremy Clarkson and James May have said Britain remaining in the EU is one of only three things they agree on.
The former Top Gear presenters were speaking as they met prime minister David Cameron in the west London office of their TV production company.
Clarkson said to the PM: “It’s an extraordinary thing that James and I only agree on three things, which is sandwich spread is delicious, the old Subaru Legacy Outback is a good car and Britain staying in.”
During an informal talk with Cameron over cappuccinos in Stronger In-branded mugs and croissants, Clarkson added: “I have not, with the greatest of respect, heard one politician say anything that’s caused me to change my mind.
“There’s huge numbers that don’t understand and get confused. Really, it’s my gut.”
Clarkson has previously declared being in favour of Remain, saying it would be “better to stay in and try to make the damn thing work properly”.
12.36pm BST
12:36
Bank of England says Brexit uncertainty is already slowing business activity
The minutes from the Bank of England’s monetary policy committee yesterday are here (pdf).
They show that the Bank thinks uncertainty generated by the referendum has already had a dampening effect on the economy in some areas. The minutes say:
Monetary policy summary and minutes of the Monetary Policy Committee meeting ending on 15 June 2016
Measures of uncertainty had increased further over the past month, with the UK a clear outlier internationally. And there had been growing evidence that uncertainty about the outcome of the referendum was leading to delays to major economic decisions that were costly or difficult to reverse. In the corporate sector, this included a sharp decline in the value of commercial real estate transactions and M&A, and reports of delayed business investment. Evidence from the Bank’s Agents had suggested increased delays in corporate decision making, which was corroborated by a Deloitte survey of chief financial officers. Survey information from Markit/CIPS and the BCC showed that for a material proportion of responding firms the referendum was having a detrimental effect on business activity, sometimes significantly so. Regarding households, both car purchases and residential housing activity had declined, although it was difficult to isolate the extent to which these effects related to the referendum or a more general underlying slowing.
12.15pm BST
12:15
Bank of England says pound could fall, 'perhaps sharply', if UK votes to leave EU
The Bank of England has issued a fresh warning about the impact of Brexit.
In a statement confirming the latest decision taken by the monetary policy committee to keep interest rates will remain unchanged, it says.
Here is the key quote.
As the Committee set out last month, the most significant risks to the MPC’s forecast concern the referendum. A vote to leave the EU could materially alter the outlook for output and inflation, and therefore the appropriate setting of monetary policy. Households could defer consumption and firms delay investment, lowering labour demand and causing unemployment to rise. Through financial market and confidence channels, there are also risks of adverse spill-overs to the global economy. At the same time, supply growth is likely to be lower over the forecast period, reflecting slower capital accumulation and the need to reallocate resources. Sterling is also likely to depreciate further, perhaps sharply. This combination of influences on demand, supply and the exchange rate could lead to a materially lower path for growth and a notably higher path for inflation than in the central projections set out in the May Inflation Report. In such circumstances, the MPC would face a trade-off between stabilising inflation on the one hand and output and employment on the other. The implications for the direction of monetary policy will depend on the relative magnitudes of the demand, supply and exchange rate effects. The MPC will take whatever action is needed, following the outcome of the referendum, to ensure that inflation expectations remain well anchored and inflation returns to the target over the appropriate horizon.
