David Cameron warned yesterday that a British exit from the EU would put a “bomb under our economy”, as both camps ramped up the rhetoric with the referendum moving closer.
The prime minister also predicted recession in the immediate aftermath of a withdrawal, as well as a “decade of uncertainty” while the UK negotiates new trade arrangements.
And he said the vote on June 23 came down to a choice between “an economy built on solid ground or one that’s like a sinkhole, crumbling beneath us”.
The Tory leader appeared alongside senior figures from Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Greens who joined forces to call on Leave campaigners to spell out how they see Britain’s economic future in the event of a Brexit.
His words came as ex-London mayor Boris Johnson claimed the UK faces a “triple whammy of woe” if voters back Remain.
He said there would be hikes in the country’s annual contributions to EU budgets and an extra £2.4billion bill to pay for Brussels’ overspending.
The PM immediately rejected his assertions, insisting the amount being spent on the EU budget was coming down.
In a dossier, the cross-party Britain Stronger in Europe group accused the Leave campaign of making unfunded spending commitments that would create a £153.6billion black hole in the public finances.
Speaking in London, Mr Cameron added: “They are performing an economic con trick on the British people and we are calling time on it.”
But Mr Johnson, at a separate event, described the “sacrifice” of sovereignty in the hope of economic gain as “morally and practically and completely wrong”.
The pro-Brexit campaigner claimed: “Democracy is in fact the vital ingredient of economic success.
“The risks of remaining in this over-centralising, over-regulating, job-destroying machine are becoming more and more obvious.”
Meanwhile, UK Justice Secretary Michael Gove, also on the campaign trail yesterday, described the European Court of Justice as a “rogue” body which threatens Britain’s national security.
The prominent Leave advocate additionally insisted that the borderless Schengen zone “actively abets” terrorists.
And he warned if Britain remained in the EU, it would be forced into a European army.
On a visit to Northern Ireland, Chancellor George Osborne argued that a Brexit would force the return of check points on the border with the Republic and slash farmers’ income.
