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EU referendum live: Major accuses Johnson and Gove of being 'gravediggers of prosperity' EU referendum live: Major accuses Johnson and Gove of being 'gravediggers of prosperity'
(35 minutes later)
1.04pm BST
13:04
Major speech
25 years soap box
to PM
I think the prime minister has fought an extremely brave campaign in very difficult circumstances. He’s put facts before our nation, he’s warned of the dangers, and that is his duty as prime minister. He cannot ignore the dangers that we face, and it is his responsibility to put those dangers before people. And in return for doing that he has faced a great deal of opposition and sometimes abuse from people who frankly we might have expected better from. And I think the way in which he has conducted himself in putting the country before self and the country before party is quite remarkable. And, David, I warmly congratulate you on what you have managed to achieve.
if anyone anti europe, should be him. but jobs and lifestyle safer inside
Let me say just a word about immigration. I come from Brixton, I was brought up in the 50s, I know a little about it from direct experience. And I have to tell you this. In a world that has changed, in a world that is on the move in almost every part of the world, leaving the European Union is no solution to the scale of migration around the world. it is a reaction to it, but it isn’t a solution to it. And to try and solve a short-term problem that will diminish as the European economy begins to grow again, and leave Europe and risk a far greater longterm impact to our prosperity in the world is quite disproportionate to the problem that we face.
And I find it extraordinary that people should point to Turkey and suggest that 77m Turks are suddenly going to descend and take all our hospital places and all our school places and all our local authority dwellings. They have been negotiating for 30 years without getting in. They are not going to get in in my judgment for one decade, two decades, perhaps ever. Even if they do get in, we are not in the Schengen zone. And even if that happened in some far distant future, what absurdity it is to suggest all 77m Turks are suddenly going to say ‘Let’s go to the United Kingdom. The national living wage has risen by 50p. Let’s get there as quickly as we can.’
diminished in world.
1.04pm BST
13:04
Duncan Smith accuses Cameron of 'lying to the British people' over Turkey
Iain Duncan Smith, the former work and pensions secretary, has accused David Cameron of “lying to the British people” over Turkey. Duncan Smith was responding to Newsnight’s interview last night with Ilnur Cevik, an adviser to the Turkish president, who said Cameron had supported Turkey joining the EU (see 7.27am), and to a line in Sir John Major’s speech this morning where he suggested Turkey could join the EU within a decade.
Duncan Smith said:
David Cameron has repeatedly claimed that Turkey is not going to join the EU despite it being Government policy. Now the Turkish government has confirmed that he is the ‘chief supporter’ of their bid to join the EU.
Cameron also said that Turkey will not join until the year 3000 but Sir John Major has let the cat out of the bag - Turkey could be in the EU in ten years’ time.
I’m afraid there is no conclusion you can draw from this, except that David Cameron is colluding with the EU and lying to the British people. Families are suffering the consequences of uncontrolled migration - a direct result of the EU’s obsession with freedom of movement.
Duncan Smith has put quite an extreme interpretation on what Major said this morning. Major said he thought Turkey would not be joining the EU “in in my judgment for one decade, two decades, perhaps ever”.
12.50pm BST
12:50
A man named Laurence Taylor who says he is “fed up with the rubbish being talked about immigration” has taken a full-page advert in the Metro to argue that it is a non-issued, the Political Scrapbook blog reports.
12.37pm BST
12:37
Outside the Scottish parliament the folk music wing of the Remain movement have been out in action this morning, my colleague Severin Carrell reports.
https://t.co/csMB788AwP
12.30pm BST
12:30
The EU referendum campaign has damaged the image of the Conservative party, according to an Ipsos MORI poll for the Evening Standard.
The proportion of voters who think the Conservatives have the best team of leaders has sunk from 43 to 36 per cent since January, found Ipsos MORI.
And the proportion who think the Tories are the most “clear and united” about their policies has dropped from 33 to just 24 per cent ...
However, the Conservatives are well ahead of Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour party on both measures.
12.18pm BST12.18pm BST
12:1812:18
Cameron says Gove has 'lost it' with Nazi propagandists commentCameron says Gove has 'lost it' with Nazi propagandists comment
David Cameron criticised Michael Gove in an interview with LBC for comparing anti-Brexit economists to Nazi propagandists. (See 10.49am.) In a subsequent interview with Sky News, Cameron went further, saying Gove had “lost it”. He said:David Cameron criticised Michael Gove in an interview with LBC for comparing anti-Brexit economists to Nazi propagandists. (See 10.49am.) In a subsequent interview with Sky News, Cameron went further, saying Gove had “lost it”. He said:
To hear the Leave campaign today sort of comparing independent experts and economists to Nazi sympathisers - I think they have rather lost it.To hear the Leave campaign today sort of comparing independent experts and economists to Nazi sympathisers - I think they have rather lost it.
These people are independent - economists who have won Nobel prizes, business leaders responsible for creating thousands of jobs, institutions that were set up after the war to try to provide independent advice. It is right to listen.These people are independent - economists who have won Nobel prizes, business leaders responsible for creating thousands of jobs, institutions that were set up after the war to try to provide independent advice. It is right to listen.
12.01pm BST12.01pm BST
12:0112:01
Here are some more lines from the end of Nigel Farage’s press conference (which I missed because it was not covered on Sky News or BBC.)Here are some more lines from the end of Nigel Farage’s press conference (which I missed because it was not covered on Sky News or BBC.)
Farage on staying on as UKIP leader - doesn't know what will him to him, Cameron or anyone else. 'Winning is what matters'Farage on staying on as UKIP leader - doesn't know what will him to him, Cameron or anyone else. 'Winning is what matters'
Farage tells journalist from Norway: 'it must be dreadful coming from a country like that!'Farage tells journalist from Norway: 'it must be dreadful coming from a country like that!'
Farage says country to watch is Italy where the anti-EU five star movement have won major election for mayor of RomeFarage says country to watch is Italy where the anti-EU five star movement have won major election for mayor of Rome
Farage then tells a Portuguese journalist that it is "pitiful" what the euro had done to his countryFarage then tells a Portuguese journalist that it is "pitiful" what the euro had done to his country
Nigel Farage on his post-referendum future: "Don't ask a general going into battle what he does if he loses."Nigel Farage on his post-referendum future: "Don't ask a general going into battle what he does if he loses."
11.44am BST11.44am BST
11:4411:44
Michael SlezakMichael Slezak
My colleague Michael Slezak has sent me more on the memorial event for Jo Cox in Sydney. (See 9.50am.) There were just over 20 people there.My colleague Michael Slezak has sent me more on the memorial event for Jo Cox in Sydney. (See 9.50am.) There were just over 20 people there.
Organiser of the Sydney event, Neva Frecheville, said she felt the need to bring together people who knew Cox or who were moved by her, following her death.Organiser of the Sydney event, Neva Frecheville, said she felt the need to bring together people who knew Cox or who were moved by her, following her death.
“When it happened it was just something that I feel like has the potential to make us all feel really isolated and full of despair and without hope. But actually there’s an opportunity for us to come together around everything that Jo stood for in her life, and the values that she lived her life by. I think it’s time for more of us to start living those as well,” she said.“When it happened it was just something that I feel like has the potential to make us all feel really isolated and full of despair and without hope. But actually there’s an opportunity for us to come together around everything that Jo stood for in her life, and the values that she lived her life by. I think it’s time for more of us to start living those as well,” she said.
One of the people who attended the event was Nic Seton. He said he knew Cox from when he lived in a boat in East London in 2010, right next door to the boat Cox lived in.One of the people who attended the event was Nic Seton. He said he knew Cox from when he lived in a boat in East London in 2010, right next door to the boat Cox lived in.
“We just by chance happened to pull up next door to their home – their boat,” he said. “We’d invite them over, and we went over to their place. We had a lot of barbecues and a really good time.”“We just by chance happened to pull up next door to their home – their boat,” he said. “We’d invite them over, and we went over to their place. We had a lot of barbecues and a really good time.”
Like Frecheville, Seton wanted to see the good that could come out of what he said was a devastating tragedy. “I feel like the silver lining really is that people have recognised that the values that she had and are really seeking to fulfill it themselves,” he said.Like Frecheville, Seton wanted to see the good that could come out of what he said was a devastating tragedy. “I feel like the silver lining really is that people have recognised that the values that she had and are really seeking to fulfill it themselves,” he said.
Jane McAdam, a law professor at the University of New South Wales, said she knew Cox’s husband, Brendan Cox, and attended partly because of that connection. “But I think more broadly it was what Jo devoted her life to in upholding the principles that she thought were so important in trying to create a society that was connected and not divided,” she said.Jane McAdam, a law professor at the University of New South Wales, said she knew Cox’s husband, Brendan Cox, and attended partly because of that connection. “But I think more broadly it was what Jo devoted her life to in upholding the principles that she thought were so important in trying to create a society that was connected and not divided,” she said.
11.39am BST11.39am BST
11:3911:39
Boris Johnson has been heckled in Ashby, the Press Association’s David Hughes reports.Boris Johnson has been heckled in Ashby, the Press Association’s David Hughes reports.
Boris heckled by teenage Remain supporter in Ashby - and by a lady asking him to kick Cameron out if Leave win. pic.twitter.com/8ZimylHwB2Boris heckled by teenage Remain supporter in Ashby - and by a lady asking him to kick Cameron out if Leave win. pic.twitter.com/8ZimylHwB2
11.31am BST11.31am BST
11:3111:31
Q: In the event of Brexit, would you stay on as Ukip leader to ensure that Leave commit to cutting immigration?Q: In the event of Brexit, would you stay on as Ukip leader to ensure that Leave commit to cutting immigration?
Farage says whatever happens tomorrow Ukip will have an important role to play. It is the biggest party in the European parliament, and, like the canary in the mineshaft, it will be able to say if reform is not happening.Farage says whatever happens tomorrow Ukip will have an important role to play. It is the biggest party in the European parliament, and, like the canary in the mineshaft, it will be able to say if reform is not happening.
My colleague Marina Hyde points out (not for the first time) that Farage does not seem to fully understand the metaphor he is using.My colleague Marina Hyde points out (not for the first time) that Farage does not seem to fully understand the metaphor he is using.
"We'll act as the canary in the mineshaft" says Farage of Ukip post-Brexit, still failing to get what this metaphor means for the canary"We'll act as the canary in the mineshaft" says Farage of Ukip post-Brexit, still failing to get what this metaphor means for the canary
UpdatedUpdated
at 11.37am BSTat 11.37am BST
11.30am BST11.30am BST
11:3011:30
Farage says the establishment have done all they can to stack the odds in their favour, but that he still thinks Leave will win.Farage says the establishment have done all they can to stack the odds in their favour, but that he still thinks Leave will win.
11.30am BST11.30am BST
11:3011:30
Farage is now taking questions from the media.Farage is now taking questions from the media.
Q: Diane James said last night you had apologised for the “Breaking Point’ poster. Is that correct?Q: Diane James said last night you had apologised for the “Breaking Point’ poster. Is that correct?
Farage says he apologised for the timing of the poster, and for the fact it was abused. But he cannot apologise for the content, because it is true. He says Angela Merkel’s immigration policy had been disastrous.Farage says he apologised for the timing of the poster, and for the fact it was abused. But he cannot apologise for the content, because it is true. He says Angela Merkel’s immigration policy had been disastrous.
There has been one really offensive poster, he says. It was the Operation Black Vote one showing a Leave supporters as a skinhead. He says that was “offensive” and “abusive” and an “absolute disgrace”.There has been one really offensive poster, he says. It was the Operation Black Vote one showing a Leave supporters as a skinhead. He says that was “offensive” and “abusive” and an “absolute disgrace”.
He is referring to this image.He is referring to this image.
UpdatedUpdated
at 11.33am BSTat 11.33am BST
11.25am BST11.25am BST
11:2511:25
Farage says that for the last time he will take out his passport to make the point that people do not have British passports anymore.Farage says that for the last time he will take out his passport to make the point that people do not have British passports anymore.
He says Remain support is dominated by vested interests.He says Remain support is dominated by vested interests.
He says Cameron has made another dishonest claim today. He says Cameron said if we voted to stay in the EU, we would be voting for more reform. (See 8.26am.) But that is not the case, he says. He says other prime ministers have tried to reform the EU. But the only reform the EU is interested in is more integration, he says.He says Cameron has made another dishonest claim today. He says Cameron said if we voted to stay in the EU, we would be voting for more reform. (See 8.26am.) But that is not the case, he says. He says other prime ministers have tried to reform the EU. But the only reform the EU is interested in is more integration, he says.
And he says one of the lasting images of the campaign for him was Bob Geldof shouting abuse at him on the Thames as he tried to give voice to the grievances of fishermen. Geldof is a millionaire rock star, he says. People like that do not care about ordinary people, he says.And he says one of the lasting images of the campaign for him was Bob Geldof shouting abuse at him on the Thames as he tried to give voice to the grievances of fishermen. Geldof is a millionaire rock star, he says. People like that do not care about ordinary people, he says.
He says most of his supporters would “crawl over broken glass” to get to a polling station tomorrow.He says most of his supporters would “crawl over broken glass” to get to a polling station tomorrow.
11.18am BST
11:18
Nigel Farage's speech
Nigel Farage, the Ukip leader, is speaking in London.
He says that he thinks Ukip and its supporters have changed politics, not just in a way that will be reflected in the result tomorrow, but in a way that will affect the country more permanently.
He says he is hearing politicians talk about things like an Australian-style points system - something Ukip has been calling for for ages.
He says the term single market is misleading. We are part of a customs union, or more accurately a big business cartel, he says.
11.12am BST
11:12
Major accuses Johnson and Gove of being 'gravediggers of prosperity'
Here is the key passage from Sir John Major’s speech in Bristol. He accused Boris Johnson and Michael Gove of being “gravediggers of prosperity”.
Now, if our nation does vote to leave tomorrow, we must respect their decision. But if they vote to leave on the basis of half-truths and untruths and misunderstandings, then pretty soon the gravediggers of our prosperity will have some very serious questions to answer. They will have to account for what they have said and done. But that will be of no consolation. For we will be out, out for good, diminished as an influence upon the world, a truly Great Britain shrunk down to a little England, perhaps without Scotland, perhaps with a grumpy Wales, and certainly with a Northern Ireland divided from the south by the border controls that would then be the edge of the European Union. That is not how our island story should go.
There is not a text of what Major said yet, because he was speaking off the cuff, but it was a substantial and effective speech. I will post a proper summary later.
11.00am BST
11:00
John Barnes accuses Leave of preying on people's fears about immigration
Yesterday Michael Gove, the leading Vote Leave campaigner, claimed that John Barnes, the former England footballer, was backing Brexit. Gove was wrong. Barnes is for Remain.
And he has written a powerful article for the Guardian explaining why. For Barnes, immigration is the key factor.
Leave is preying on people’s fears, telling the same story we’ve heard over the years about black people from Africa and the Caribbean coming to steal our jobs. Now we hear the same thing about Poles. If leave wanted to say that companies are paying migrants less than British workers, and so allowing them to take our jobs, then it should be looking at raising the minimum wage – not stopping migrants entering the country. The problem has nothing to do with the Polish workers – it is an issue about our labour laws. Yet leave maintains its focus on immigration ...
Britain has always told the world that being British is about the humanity, compassion and moral fortitude that we have. All great things that we are supposed to have spread across the world. A leave vote now says that we don’t really care about anyone else, we don’t care what happens to the European Union. Why should the Germans be able to show more compassion than we do? ...
And when politicians talk about welcoming different, more skilled immigrants – who are they talking about anyway? If there were thousands of blond-haired, blue-eyed Americans landing at Dover, seeking refuge, I think many of us would be straight down there to help. So many groups of people, whether they be from Africa or the Middle East, have been demonised and dehumanised because they don’t look like us. I’m not accusing anyone of being racist. I’m black, I was born in Jamaica, but this affects me too. I know I would feel more empathy with that boat of white American refugees than I do with the thousands fleeing Syria. It’s because of what we have all been told and the environment that we live in. I don’t look like a white American any more than I do a Syrian – but I was brought up in a society that has taught me to empathise more with them.
And here is the full article.
Related: John Barnes: Gove says I’ll be voting leave. He’s wrong – and here’s why
10.49am BST
10:49
Cameron condemns Gove for comparing anti-Brexit economists to Nazi propagandists
Rowena Mason
The media blitz continues. The PM has been on LBC, where he was quizzed about the Queen’s views on Brexit.
Following a report that she challenged dinner guests for three reasons why the UK should stay in, David Cameron said: “The conversations we have are entirely private and will remain that way.”
The PM also had some harsh words for Michael Gove, the justice secretary and his close political friend, who had compared experts warning against Brexit to experts who were n the pay of Nazis.
Let me tell you what I think is the most extraordinary thing in the news today, and that is the Leave campaign, comparing these independent experts, businesses, economists, Nobel Prize winners to sort of Nazi propagandists. [See 8.43am.] I think is the most extraordinary thing when you know people who are …
I think I’m afraid the Leave campaign here are making a massive mistake. If in our country, you know look at these people, some of them won Nobel Prizes, many of them are working for independent institutions we set up after the war. These businesses don’t normally come off the fence on an issue like this and speak so clearly. And I think when you’ve got that weight of opinion saying there’s a real risk to the British economy, to jobs, to families’ finances then it really is worth listening.
And if we’re going to go to a world where we say, I’m not going to listen to experts, that’s an extraordinary thing to do.
When asked if it wasn’t going to be very tough to work with Gove again after Friday, Cameron said:
Well no, as I say I don’t think it will be because all Conservatives agree, it was right to have a referendum and it’s right to carry out the instructions of people. This is not about some sort of Tory psycho drama and who likes who and who and all the rest of it. This is about the future of our country.
10.40am BST
10:40
Here is John Harris’s latest Anywhere but Westminster video about the EU referendum campaign.
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.