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EU referendum live: remain and leave make final push in last day of campaign EU referendum live: remain and leave make final push in last day of campaign
(35 minutes later)
10.37am BST
10:37
Adam Vaughan
Britain should stay in Europe for the sake of its countryside and natural world, according to a group of current and former ministers, MPs and representatives of conservation organisations.
In a letter to The Independent, the 37 signatories write that: “It’s only with a strong voice in the EU that we can protect and enhance the environment, meaning that our precious wildlife and natural resources are preserved for generations to come.”
The list of names is impressive. Liz Truss and Rory Stewart, the current environment secretary and environment minister, are on there, along with Stanley Johnson, a long-time environmentalist and former Tory MEP, and father of Brexiter-in-chief, Boris Johnson. Former heads of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, the Countryside Alliance, and the Environment Agency feature too.
While climate change has had a fair airing in the TV debates and the campaign – repeatedly deployed by the remain camp as an example of a problem that can’t be solved without working in the EU – the natural world has hardly featured.
Yet the UK used to be known as the “dirty man of Europe”, and almost all our protections for wildlife and nature come from the EU, from the birds and habitats directives to ones on river water quality and bathing water. “By working in partnership with other European countries we have ensured our rivers, streams and coastline are in the healthiest state for 25 years,” the letter writers say, adding that “EU action has also led to an increase in bird numbers.”
10.33am BST
10:33
10.29am BST
10:29
Jasper Jackson
Last night’s referendum debate broadcast from Wembley arena, which saw clashes between London mayor Sadiq Khan and his predecessor Boris Johnson, drew in 3.9m viewers.
The two-hour show on BBC1 had an audience share of just over 19%, but suffered going up against Spain’s Euro 2016 clash with Croatia, which was watched by 4.6 million, accounting for 23.5% of all viewers.
The number of people tuning in was up on the 3m who watched Johnson’s previous debate appearance on 10 June on ITV when he went up against SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon and Labour’s Angela Eagle, but down slightly on the 4 million who watched the debate Ukip leader Nigel Farage David Cameron two days earlier.
The final debate will take place tonight on Channel 4, with a revolving panel chosen from an audience of high profile remain, leave and undecided representatives, including Yvette Cooper, Louise Mensch, Delia Smith and Ulrika Jonsson.
Updated
at 10.31am BST
10.25am BST
10:25
Harriet Harman, the former Labour deputy leader, is speaking now at the event with David Cameron and Sir John Major. She is there with Marvin Rees, the new Labour mayor of Bristol.
10.20am BST
10:20
Major says if we vote to leave the “grave diggers of our prosperity” will have a great deal of explaining to do.
10.19am BST
10:19
Sir John Major, the former Conservative prime minister, is speaking now at an event with David Cameron and Harriet Harman.
9.50am BST9.50am BST
09:5009:50
My Guardian Australia colleague Michael Slezak has been at the Jo Cox memorial event in Sydney. He has posted these pictures on Twitter.My Guardian Australia colleague Michael Slezak has been at the Jo Cox memorial event in Sydney. He has posted these pictures on Twitter.
People in Sydney come together and make speeches to celebrate Jo Cox's birthday. #MoreInCommon pic.twitter.com/P8Wjpz0TL7People in Sydney come together and make speeches to celebrate Jo Cox's birthday. #MoreInCommon pic.twitter.com/P8Wjpz0TL7
Most people at the small gathering in Sydney are speaking abt their personal connection to Jo Cox. #MoreInCommon pic.twitter.com/8EOZdLgthKMost people at the small gathering in Sydney are speaking abt their personal connection to Jo Cox. #MoreInCommon pic.twitter.com/8EOZdLgthK
Nic Seton lived in a boat next to Jo Cox in London in 2010 and gathered here in Sydney to remember her #MoreInCommon pic.twitter.com/Kx7iDu66rfNic Seton lived in a boat next to Jo Cox in London in 2010 and gathered here in Sydney to remember her #MoreInCommon pic.twitter.com/Kx7iDu66rf
9.45am BST9.45am BST
09:4509:45
It turns out that Operation Croissant has become Operation Postcard.It turns out that Operation Croissant has become Operation Postcard.
This is an initiative staged by Parisiens who want to show Britons at King’s Cross station in London this morning how much the French want them to stay in the EU. The original plan was to hand out free croissants. But the organisers say they were advised by the police that this would be illegal (giving food or drink to people to influence their vote, or “treating” as it is known, used to be a standard election practice many years ago, but a law was passed to make it an offence) and so instead the organisers decided to hand out postcards. Here are some of them.This is an initiative staged by Parisiens who want to show Britons at King’s Cross station in London this morning how much the French want them to stay in the EU. The original plan was to hand out free croissants. But the organisers say they were advised by the police that this would be illegal (giving food or drink to people to influence their vote, or “treating” as it is known, used to be a standard election practice many years ago, but a law was passed to make it an offence) and so instead the organisers decided to hand out postcards. Here are some of them.
The croissants are being donated to a shelter for the homeless instead.The croissants are being donated to a shelter for the homeless instead.
More postcards from French people asking us to #remain #operationcroissant pic.twitter.com/BYC5DnsIwbMore postcards from French people asking us to #remain #operationcroissant pic.twitter.com/BYC5DnsIwb
9.28am BST9.28am BST
09:2809:28
Andrew SparrowAndrew Sparrow
Good morning. I’m Andrew Sparrow, taking over from Claire.Good morning. I’m Andrew Sparrow, taking over from Claire.
The Press Association has more on Boris Johnson’s visit to Maldon.The Press Association has more on Boris Johnson’s visit to Maldon.
Johnson’s next campaign stop was in Maldon, Essex, where he joined Brexit-backing Cabinet minister John Whittingdale.Johnson’s next campaign stop was in Maldon, Essex, where he joined Brexit-backing Cabinet minister John Whittingdale.
After a walk through the town marked by the usual ritual of posing for selfies, signing autographs and acknowledging shouts of support from passing motorists, the former London mayor told activists: “I do think that we are on the verge, possibly, of an extraordinary event in the history of our country and indeed in the whole of Europe.”After a walk through the town marked by the usual ritual of posing for selfies, signing autographs and acknowledging shouts of support from passing motorists, the former London mayor told activists: “I do think that we are on the verge, possibly, of an extraordinary event in the history of our country and indeed in the whole of Europe.”
He added: “It’s all going to about getting our supporters out to vote and if we do it I really think tomorrow can be independence day.”He added: “It’s all going to about getting our supporters out to vote and if we do it I really think tomorrow can be independence day.”
But the rally was interrupted by former Tory supporter Nigel Brunt, who said: “Democracy will win tomorrow and it will be Remain.”But the rally was interrupted by former Tory supporter Nigel Brunt, who said: “Democracy will win tomorrow and it will be Remain.”
Brunt, who was jeered by the Vote Leave activists, told local MP Whittingdale: “As an ex, now, Conservative supporter in this borough, I hope you resign after the vote.”Brunt, who was jeered by the Vote Leave activists, told local MP Whittingdale: “As an ex, now, Conservative supporter in this borough, I hope you resign after the vote.”
Johnson stopped to buy copies of Brexit-backing newspapers The Sun and Daily Telegraph in Maldon.Johnson stopped to buy copies of Brexit-backing newspapers The Sun and Daily Telegraph in Maldon.
The Tory MP, a Telegraph columnist, flicked through the papers as he strolled around the town.The Tory MP, a Telegraph columnist, flicked through the papers as he strolled around the town.
9.06am BST9.06am BST
09:0609:06
Remainers might have Operation Croissant, but Boris Johnson has a wild salmon:Remainers might have Operation Croissant, but Boris Johnson has a wild salmon:
Johnson had an early start at Billingsgate fish market, where he also revealed that he had once “kissed a crocodile in Australia”.Johnson had an early start at Billingsgate fish market, where he also revealed that he had once “kissed a crocodile in Australia”.
Less surprisingly, he then told BBC Breakfast that he was pushing for an Australian-style points system for immigration, and “personally would advocate” a cut in the number of people coming to the UK.Less surprisingly, he then told BBC Breakfast that he was pushing for an Australian-style points system for immigration, and “personally would advocate” a cut in the number of people coming to the UK.
He then skipped on to ITV’s Good Morning Britain, where he said of the money sent by Britain to Europe:He then skipped on to ITV’s Good Morning Britain, where he said of the money sent by Britain to Europe:
Some of it is spent in this country by Brussels bureaucrats, some of it comes back in the form of rebate but that is at the discretion of the EU, and half of it we never see again – it just vanishes.Some of it is spent in this country by Brussels bureaucrats, some of it comes back in the form of rebate but that is at the discretion of the EU, and half of it we never see again – it just vanishes.
It is spent in a way that is extremely dodgy and in many ways, and very often as you know, it is the subject of corruption.It is spent in a way that is extremely dodgy and in many ways, and very often as you know, it is the subject of corruption.
Johnson is currently in Maldon, Essex, with John Whittingdale, the pro-Brexit culture secretary.Johnson is currently in Maldon, Essex, with John Whittingdale, the pro-Brexit culture secretary.
And it’s still only 9am. It’s going to be a long last day of campaigning.And it’s still only 9am. It’s going to be a long last day of campaigning.
8.56am BST8.56am BST
08:5608:56
Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi has written his please-don’t-go column for the Guardian this morning; in Warsaw, the palace of culture and science switched on the red, white and blue lights last night:Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi has written his please-don’t-go column for the Guardian this morning; in Warsaw, the palace of culture and science switched on the red, white and blue lights last night:
At St Pancras station this morning, London commuters were met with Operation Croissant – Parisians wielding croissants and messages to voters to stay with the EU:At St Pancras station this morning, London commuters were met with Operation Croissant – Parisians wielding croissants and messages to voters to stay with the EU:
Postcards from Paris for London commuters this morning asking them to #remain #operationcroissant pic.twitter.com/Lm04qdN52DPostcards from Paris for London commuters this morning asking them to #remain #operationcroissant pic.twitter.com/Lm04qdN52D
Also in London, Tate Modern was lit up last night, too:Also in London, Tate Modern was lit up last night, too:
UpdatedUpdated
at 8.58am BSTat 8.58am BST
8.43am BST8.43am BST
08:4308:43
It feels a little too early in today’s live blog for Godwin’s law, so apologies, but we have our first Nazi reference of the day.It feels a little too early in today’s live blog for Godwin’s law, so apologies, but we have our first Nazi reference of the day.
Via Press Association:Via Press Association:
Michael Gove has compared economic experts warning about the fall-out of Brexit to the Nazis who orchestrated a smear campaign against Albert Einstein in the 1930s.Michael Gove has compared economic experts warning about the fall-out of Brexit to the Nazis who orchestrated a smear campaign against Albert Einstein in the 1930s.
The justice secretary, who co-chairs the Vote Leave campaign, said experts cannot always be trusted, after being challenged over why he is not heeding the advice of many economists who have warned that Brexit could have dire consequences and tip the economy into recession.The justice secretary, who co-chairs the Vote Leave campaign, said experts cannot always be trusted, after being challenged over why he is not heeding the advice of many economists who have warned that Brexit could have dire consequences and tip the economy into recession.
The International Monetary Fund, 10 Nobel-prize winning economists and the Bank of England have all warned that leaving the EU could damage the economy.The International Monetary Fund, 10 Nobel-prize winning economists and the Bank of England have all warned that leaving the EU could damage the economy.
Gove told LBC:Gove told LBC:
I think the key thing here is to interrogate the assumptions that are made and to ask if these arguments are good.I think the key thing here is to interrogate the assumptions that are made and to ask if these arguments are good.
We have to be careful about historical comparisons, but Albert Einstein during the 1930s was denounced by the German authorities for being wrong and his theories were denounced, and one of the reasons of course he was denounced was because he was Jewish.We have to be careful about historical comparisons, but Albert Einstein during the 1930s was denounced by the German authorities for being wrong and his theories were denounced, and one of the reasons of course he was denounced was because he was Jewish.
They got 100 German scientists in the pay of the government to say that he was wrong and Einstein said: ‘Look, if I was wrong, one would have been enough.’They got 100 German scientists in the pay of the government to say that he was wrong and Einstein said: ‘Look, if I was wrong, one would have been enough.’
The truth is that if you look at the quality of the analysis, if you look at the facts on the ground, you can come to an appropriate conclusion.The truth is that if you look at the quality of the analysis, if you look at the facts on the ground, you can come to an appropriate conclusion.
And the appropriate conclusion, I think, all of us can come to is that with growth rates so low in Europe, with so many unemployed and with the nature of the single currency so damaging, freeing ourselves from that project can only strengthen our economy.And the appropriate conclusion, I think, all of us can come to is that with growth rates so low in Europe, with so many unemployed and with the nature of the single currency so damaging, freeing ourselves from that project can only strengthen our economy.
UpdatedUpdated
at 8.45am BSTat 8.45am BST
8.29am BST8.29am BST
08:2908:29
Cameron: I will accept the instructions of the British peopleCameron: I will accept the instructions of the British people
Cameron reacts strongly to a suggestion that the UK risks tying itself to a dying institution:Cameron reacts strongly to a suggestion that the UK risks tying itself to a dying institution:
We are not shackled to a corpse, you can see the European economy is recovering … The vision of Britain in Europe is that we do have a special status, you have the best of both worlds …We are not shackled to a corpse, you can see the European economy is recovering … The vision of Britain in Europe is that we do have a special status, you have the best of both worlds …
I am a deeply patriotic person … I don’t want to give that up to some sort of United Europe.I am a deeply patriotic person … I don’t want to give that up to some sort of United Europe.
We achieve more if we’re in these organisations fighting for British interests rather than standing outside, ear pressed to the glass.We achieve more if we’re in these organisations fighting for British interests rather than standing outside, ear pressed to the glass.
And will he still be prime minister on Friday, come what may?And will he still be prime minister on Friday, come what may?
I will accept the instructions of the British people and get to work to deliver them.I will accept the instructions of the British people and get to work to deliver them.
And he’s done.And he’s done.
UpdatedUpdated
at 8.33am BSTat 8.33am BST
8.26am BST8.26am BST
08:2608:26
Cameron says we need to come up with “smart ways” of managing immigration, citing efforts to curb criminals from coming into Britain and cracking down on sham marriages.Cameron says we need to come up with “smart ways” of managing immigration, citing efforts to curb criminals from coming into Britain and cracking down on sham marriages.
He says reform will continue “on Friday” if the UK stays inside the EU.He says reform will continue “on Friday” if the UK stays inside the EU.
There are people in our country who haven’t had as good chances as I’d like them to have … stating in the European Union is actually going to increase people’s life chances.There are people in our country who haven’t had as good chances as I’d like them to have … stating in the European Union is actually going to increase people’s life chances.
Staying in the EU makes it easier, too, to tackle issues such as terrorism and climate change, Cameron says.Staying in the EU makes it easier, too, to tackle issues such as terrorism and climate change, Cameron says.
8.22am BST8.22am BST
08:2208:22
Cameron says the claim by his former adviser Steve Hilton that he knew four years ago that it would be impossible to cut net migration to the tens of thousands is “simply not true”.Cameron says the claim by his former adviser Steve Hilton that he knew four years ago that it would be impossible to cut net migration to the tens of thousands is “simply not true”.
He says that when Hilton left No 10 in 2012, net migration was falling “and the forecast was that we would be meeting the target we had”.He says that when Hilton left No 10 in 2012, net migration was falling “and the forecast was that we would be meeting the target we had”.
(As Cameron told the Guardian on the same question: “The figures were 244,000 in 2010 and by the autumn of 2012 it was down to 154,000, so it was falling towards that ambition.”)(As Cameron told the Guardian on the same question: “The figures were 244,000 in 2010 and by the autumn of 2012 it was down to 154,000, so it was falling towards that ambition.”)
UpdatedUpdated
at 8.26am BSTat 8.26am BST
8.20am BST
08:20
Cameron: We don’t solve our immigration challenge by leaving the European Union but we do create a massive problem for our economy.
In the debate last night, the leave campaign admitted it could take 10 years to negotiate a trade deal.
8.18am BST
08:18
Cameron insists that the safeguards against “ever closer union” are legally binding on the other 27 member states if the UK votes to remain.
It’s undeniable that we have the best of both worlds.
This [a vote to leave] is irreversible: you can’t jump out of the aeroplane then climb back in through the cockpit hatch.
8.15am BST
08:15
Cameron denies that the concessions he secured on EU migrants’ access to in-work benefits amount to very little.
That will make a difference … It’s about a principle as well as the numbers: if you come and work here, you have to pay in for four years before you get anything out of the system.
He argues that concessions he achieved add to the UK’s “special status” in the EU:
We were at risk of getting drawn into bailouts of the euro … We did not have that guarantee and that is now guaranteed.
8.12am BST
08:12
Cameron Today programme interview
David Cameron is speaking on Radio 4 now. He also gave an interview to the Guardian, which you can read here.
On his decision to call the referendum and whether he was effectively bumped into it, he says:
We haven’t had a say on this issue since the 1970s. Europe has changed … I would dispute that this has been done in a hurry.
8.04am BST
08:04
Scottish leaders back remain
Severin Carrell
Scotland’s political leaders and its five surviving first ministers have released joint cross-party statements urging voters to back remain, as the campaigns began their final push before referendum day.
The five first ministers, Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon for the SNP, Jack McConnell and Henry McLeish for Scottish Labour, with Jim Wallace, the Scottish Lib Dem twice acting first minister, said Scotland had to “maximise the remain vote” on Thursday:
The stakes could hardly be higher. Staying in the European Union and its single market is vital for jobs and investment in Scotland, and also enshrines key protections for workers and consumers.
In a splash story reminiscent of the controversial “vow” by UK party leaders on the eve of Scotland’s independence referendum in 2014, the Daily Record published what it said was an unprecedented joint statement by the leaders of Scotland’s five main parties.
Tomorrow's Daily Record carries an unprecedented joint statement from all five Holyrood party leaders backing Remain pic.twitter.com/YL8yzz1JAP
Sturgeon, along with Ruth Davidson for the Scottish Tories, Kezia Dugdale of Scottish Labour, Patrick Harvie of the Scottish Greens and Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie, said they set aside their policy differences to agree on the need to stay in the EU:
We disagree on much, but this issue transcends party politics – staying in Europe and its single market of over 500 million people is vital for jobs, investment and opportunities for the people of Scotland.
Scotland has ancient trading and educational links with our European neighbours. In the aftermath of World War II, the EU was established as ‘Project Peace’, to turn swords into ploughshares.
Peace on our continent is a precious legacy, and a powerful example to the rest of the world. We should not turn our backs on all that has been achieved …
Common sense tells us that if Scotland is taken out of the world’s biggest free trade area, our economy will be damaged. It would be all pain for no gain.
7.51am BST
07:51
Global tributes to Jo Cox
Most of the worldwide events in memory of Jo Cox – synchronised to take place today, on what would have been her 42nd birthday, under the banner #MoreInCommon – are happening later, around 4pm UK time.
Some have already taken place, such as this tribute in Melbourne, at Oxfam Australia:
"We are far more united and have far more in common than that which divides us." Vale Jo Cox #MoreInCommon pic.twitter.com/hcwSeMsb2k
Former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd added his support:
Today would've been Jo Cox’s 42nd birthday. Keep her legacy alive: https://t.co/8VVHgHxX1R #moreincommon #lovelikeJo pic.twitter.com/j8vwMLvSLK
The Google UK homepage has added a note to mark the day and link to a fundraising page for three charities supported by Cox. The fund has now surpassed £1.2m.
7.38am BST
07:38
Whatever happens tomorrow, I think it’s fair to say that the Sun and David Cameron are never, ever getting back together:
"Don't put your trust in Cameron" --- @TheSun gets very personal against the PM pic.twitter.com/xiot8SPVPu
7.27am BST
07:27
The rhetoric about Turkey in this campaign has not gone unnoticed in that country, an adviser to the Turkish president has said.
Ilnur Cevik told BBC’s Newsnight on Wednesday that Turkish citizens would not “flood” to Britain if the country joined the EU, Press Association reports:
Cevik, who is close to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, criticised both David Cameron for “taking us for a ride” by indicating he supported the country joining the EU, and the Leave campaign for using the prospect as “an alibi” for Brexit.
He said Turkey is “deeply hurting” now that the prime minister has indicated he is unlikely to support its EU membership after Brexit campaigners used the potential accession to warn that it could open Britain’s borders to millions of Turks.
But responding to the leave campaign’s claims that could mean more Turkish criminals in the UK, Cevik told Newsnight:
Firstly, the crime rate is not high.
Secondly, there’s no extraordinary situation in this country that we would export anything to Britain.
But besides that, who’s going to come to Britain? Why should we be flooding Britain? There’s no reason. Whatever exists in Britain also exists in Turkey.
We are not going to go over there just because you produce Cadbury chocolates and Maltesers, for God’s sake.
They should not use us as an alibi, they should not use us as a pretext, they should really deal with the nitty-gritty of why they should be leaving.
Updated
at 7.29am BST
7.20am BST
07:20
Tory MEP and prominent leave campaigner Daniel Hannan has been speaking on the Today programme, where he was asked about that £350m figure, curiously absent from the Brexit arguments in last night’s BBC debate.
Hannan insisted the claim hadn’t been shelved:
No, I’m very comfortable to defend that figure: it’s the difference between gross and net … It’s not one that I’ve plucked out of the air.
It is true, he conceded:
We don’t literally, in a digitised age, put gold in the back of a van and drive it across the Channel.
But he argued that nobody would argue that the 20p income tax rate was
actually zero because we get it all back in schools and roads and hospitals.
6.57am BST
06:57
Morning briefing
Claire Phipps
Good morning and welcome back to the live blog for the final day of campaigning ahead of tomorrow’s referendum.
I’ve rounded up the key moments of last night’s not-quite-final TV debate below, along with the rest of the news you need. Andrew Sparrow will be along later. Do come and chat in the comments below or find me on Twitter @Claire_Phipps.
The big picture
David Cameron, in an interview with the Guardian after his earlier appeal to older voters, says the leave campaign has “become very narrowly focused” on immigration, stoking “an issue that needs careful handling”.
The UK is, he says, “arguably the most successful multi-ethnic, multi-faith, opportunity democracy anywhere on earth”, and a vote to remain would send “a very clear message that we’ve rejected this idea that Britain is narrow and insular and inward-looking”.
Cameron gets a helping hand this morning from the Italian prime minister, Matteo Renzi, who has written – via the Guardian – to British voters asking them not to make “the wrong choice”:
Seen from Italy, a vote to leave Europe would not be a disaster, a tragedy or the end of the world for you in the UK. It would be worse, because it would be the wrong choice. It would be a mistake for which you the voters primarily would pay the price. Because who really wants Britain to be small and isolated?
If there’s one thing the British have never done when faced with a challenge that concerns their future, their very identity, it is to make the wrong choice. A Britain less great than it is would go against the very logic of those who want an exit. It would swap autonomy for solitude, pride for weakness, and identity for self-harm.
Last night’s BBC Big Referendum Come Dancing Debate (I’d love to claim that, but it’s a John Crace copyright) pitted Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson, London mayor Sadiq Khan and TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady for remain, against Conservative MPs Boris Johnson and Andrea Leadsom and Labour MP Gisela Stuart for leave.
A snap YouGov poll for the Times found 39% thought leave had won it, over 34% for remain (and a bumper 17% who didn’t know). The same group of those polled were, however, still just a smidgen more likely to vote for remain: 41% to 40%.
What we learned
I’m going to assume that regular readers and anyone who’s prised open an eyelid at any point during this referendum campaign can take a guess at the key points covered:
As my colleague Andrew Sparrow neatly summed it up: “The exchanges bear so little relation to the questions that one wonders why [David] Dimbleby bothers to ask them.”
Still, we did glean a few new things:
I think Boris maybe misjudged this panel by talking about the Balkans because what he probably doesn’t know is that I was sent to the Balkans at the end of the Kosovo war as a reporter and I have never been more proud of being British in my life than watching British troops with a union jack on their arms, believing in something, pulling their weight, and helping in the European Union. That’s what caused me to join up and serve. I think I am the only one on this panel that has ever worn the Queen’s uniform.
Because the EU is in charge of our trade negotiations we cannot export haggis to America.
I do just have to remind people that there are mums and dads and grans and grandads on this side as well.
Enjoyed making the positive case to stay in the EU on #BBCDebate. And yes - I did break my fast on stage #Ramadan pic.twitter.com/iKXLbUGeaD
What we didn’t
The key exchange
Khan: Let’s deal with this big fat lie once and for all. Turkey isn’t about to join. And until three months ago, you knew that was the case, Boris Johnson … You are using the ruse of Turkey to scare people to vote to leave.
Johnson: I’m a Turk!
Zinger of the night
Khan’s “Project Hate” accusation, levelled at Johnson, captured a lot of headlines:
Your campaign hasn’t been project fear, it’s been project hate as far as immigration is concerned.
But Johnson of course had a pre-prepared soundbite of his own:
This Thursday can be our country’s independence day!
The Remain campaign verdict
Migration debate section reveals Leave are saying one thing to one audience and something else to another. Deceptive stuff. #BBCDebate
That Ruth Davidson had done her homework before the EU debate. Boris Johnson hadn't. She reached out. He looked down.
The Leave campaign verdict
No one better than @GiselaStuart, an immigrant, to combat ridiculous accusations that concern about immigration is hateful #BBCDebate
Proud of @GiselaStuart @andrealeadsom & @BorisJohnson tonight. Message of common sense, optimism and confidence in our country. @vote_leave
You should also know
Poll position
So far this morning, there are no fresh forecasts, but expect numbers today from ComRes, Opinium and YouGov. There should also be a last-gasp Ipsos Mori poll on Thursday morning.
Diary
Read these
It’s been pinging around Facebook, but now this piece by Martin Fletcher, a former foreign editor for the Times, has made its way to the New York Times:
For decades, British newspapers have offered their readers an endless stream of biased, misleading and downright fallacious stories about Brussels. And the journalist who helped set the tone – long before he became the mayor of London or the face of the pro-Brexit campaign – was Boris Johnson …
He wrote about European Union plans to take over Europe, ban Britain’s favourite potato chips, standardise condom sizes and blow up its own asbestos-filled headquarters. These articles were undoubtedly colourful but they bore scant relation to the truth.
Mr Johnson’s dispatches galvanised the rest of Britain’s highly competitive and partisan newspaper industry. They were far more fun than the usual dry, policy-driven Brussels fare. Editors at other newspapers, particularly but not exclusively the tabloids, started pressing their own correspondents to match Mr Johnson’s imaginative reports …
The upshot is that Mr Johnson and his fellow Brexit proponents are now campaigning against the caricature of the European Union that he himself helped create. They are asking the British people to part with a monster about as real as the one in Loch Ness.
Could Australia swing the EU vote, Julian Lorkin asks on the BBC website:
With 1.2 million British nationals in Australia, and 250,000 in New Zealand, both the stay and leave camps are in full campaign mode half a world away from the UK. Southern hemisphere votes have the potential to swing the knife-edge referendum.
Posters supporting both sides have sprouted in areas popular with UK residents. In some locations, such as Perth, up to 15% of the population was born in England …
Far more British expats live Down Under than elsewhere in the world. Only Spain, with 760,000, and the United States at 600,000 come close. As such they will wield considerable influence over whether the UK stays in the EU.
Cathy Newman in the Telegraph says Theresa May is the one to watch should Cameron take a tumble on Friday:
May is truly the quiet woman of British politics. And I don’t mean that as an insult. There’s no shortage of loud-mouths soaking up the attention and hogging the airwaves during this rancorous EU referendum campaign. The home secretary, by contrast, has been reserved to the point of invisibility …
Authority, though, is something May has in spades. The longest-serving home secretary for more than a century, she’s managed - in a department known for destroying reputations - to enhance hers. This is something of a miracle, particularly when you consider the government has failed to meet one of its central manifesto pledges on her watch: the promise to reduce immigration to the tens of thousands.
Celebrity endorsement of the day
Still undecided? Let a famous person persuade you. Actor Liam Neeson has said he’s for staying in:
A UK exit would have the worst ramifications for the island of Ireland … It would be truly a shame to sacrifice all the progress that has been made by the peace process regarding border controls … There is strength in unity. A Brexit vote will make us weak.
Or how about King of Darts Bobby George? He’s for remain too.
And ex-footballer John Barnes came out fighting against claims by Michael Gove that he was a leaver – making what has been described by some as the most positive argument for immigration so far in this campaign:
Michael Gove says John Barnes is for Brexit, John Barnes calls us up and says absolutely not Michael Gove https://t.co/adA3QXzjWt
The Channel 4 debate also chucks in a few leave celebs, with Selina Scott, DJ Mike Read (of Ukip calypso fame) and Gillian McKeith arguing for out.
The day in a tweet
Perhaps we could put it to a referendum?
All I want is a simple grand coalition headed by the dual premiership of @RuthDavidsonMSP and @SadiqKhan Is it SO DIFFICULT to arrange?
If today were a film ...
It would be Independence Day. Either (if you’re for Brexit) the box office-busting original or (if you’re for staying or perhaps just very, very tired) the newly released sequel described by Guardian film critic Peter Bradshaw as “planet-smashingly boring … on its way to crush our minds”.
And another thing
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