British Prime Minister David Cameron has accused Brexit campaigners of peddling “total untruths” and misleading the public on the dangers of staying in the European Union.
Cameron, who is leading the “Remain” campaign, made the comments at a surprise press conference Tuesday in London, urging British voters not to “make this choice on the basis of false information.”
Britons vote in a referendum on June 23 on whether to remain in the European Union. The decision has far-reaching consequences for both the country and the bloc.
Cameron stressed warnings by a wide range of bodies like the International Monetary Fund, the Bank of England, the US Federal Reserve, and the World Trade Organization about the consequences of Britain leaving the EU.
“A ‘Leave’ campaign resorting to total untruths to con people into taking a leap in the dark, it’s irresponsible and it’s wrong and it’s time that the ‘Leave’ campaign was called out on the nonsense that they are peddling,” he said.
Opinion polls on Monday showed a slender lead for those in favor of Brexit.
Asked by a reporter whether he was worried the “Remain” camp was losing, Cameron said, “Not at all.”
“What I'm worried about, what I'm concerned about, is that people are being told things that aren't correct,” he added.
The prime minister also dismissed arguments made by senior members of his Conservative Party who are campaigning for Britain to leave the EU, including Justice Secretary Michael Gove and former London mayor Boris Johnson.
Membership of the European Union has been a controversial issue in the UK since the country joined the then European Economic Community in 1973.
Those in favor of a withdrawal from the EU argue that outside the bloc, London would be better positioned to conduct its own trade negotiations, better able to control immigration, and get rid of excessive EU regulations and bureaucracy.
Those in favor of remaining in the bloc argue that leaving it would risk the UK's prosperity, diminish its influence over world affairs, and result in trade barriers between the UK and the EU.